


Trouble Finds Him

by Lunabell_Marauder_Knyte



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-03
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2017-11-15 14:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/528206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunabell_Marauder_Knyte/pseuds/Lunabell_Marauder_Knyte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While working in the Ministry as Head Auror, Harry intervenes during a raid in the Time Chamber.The attackers are rogue Death Eaters after "The Sands of Time".Harry rescues the object but when hit with the killing curse while holding the ancient object, Harry is teleported to another time...to another world. He wakes up in 1940 New York and meets Howard Stark. They become best friends as Howard helps Harry cope with the fact that he's the only wizard in this world, and his chances of getting back home are slim to none at best. Harry in turn helps Howard with the war and joins the army where he meets Steve. They train and fight together and Harry goes down with the ship just like Steve...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once Upon a Stark

There was a knock on Harry's door, he looked up and allowed that person to enter.

"Morning Harry. I have those reports from last week," Dean said as he dropped off the folders on Harry's desk.

"Thanks Dean," Harry replied as he cracked the kinks in his neck.

Dean smirked, "They got you working over-time again?"

"Apparently being the head of any department around here entitles you to that either way." Harry answered.

"Sorry to hear that mate. Well at least it's Friday. Got the entire weekend to doze off and fool around," Dean said.

Harry smiled, "Yup. Ron's got the entire Weasley clan tickets to the Quidditch finals. It's going to be awesome."

"Ah that's right the Cannons made it to the finals didn't they?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, Ron's ecstatic," Harry said.

"I bet. After years of cheering for a losing team, looks like his loyalty is finally being rewarded. Think they'll claim the championship?" Dean asked sitting down and getting comfortable.

Harry who had been writing reports nonstop for hours gladly welcomed the distraction. Setting aside all the paperwork that cluttered his desk, Harry leaned back in his chair and replied, "Either way Ron's not going to shut up for weeks. He'll either be bitching about their lost, or gloating about their victory."

Dean laughed, "I feel sorry for Hermione then."

"You sort of do, then you remember that it's Hermione. She'll put him in his place if he gets too obnoxious." Harry said and both Gryffindor's shared a laugh at the expense of their friend. "So what's new with you?"

"Not much. I am on the third date with this girl that works at Flourish and Blotts," Dean replied.

"The new girl?" Harry asked.

"Yes sir. Diana Smith. Started working there last year. She'd beautiful Harry, beautiful!" Dean exclaimed.

"Well it's your third date so she must like you," Harry said in a teasing voice.

Dean rolled his eyes, "I can get any girl I want...as long as the great Harry Potter isn't pining after them."

After the war, only three years ago, the lot of them who fought were practically given the jobs of Auror if they asked. All of them showed amazing talent and bravery. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean, Ginny, and a lot of Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's ended up working as special task forces to help reconstruct the Ministry as well as the Wizarding World in general. After six months of showing uncanny talents as an Auror, Harry was promoted as the Head of Aurors. He only went of the most difficult missions. Other times he was mostly behind his desk looking over potential threats, request, teams, missions, safety and danger in different areas around England.

Everyone that worked under him had to check-in with him regularly. Harry, being Harry, was friendly to those he believed deserved it. His fellow Gryffindor's who were just faces he used to know were now his co-workers and they now had a better vibe then they had when they were his classmates. A part of it he thought was because he was their boss, but really it's more the ease of truly being rid of Voldemort. He was their hero again but he(plus Ginny and Hermione) made sure not to let it go to his head. Aside from Ron, Dean turned out to be a very good friend. They were now at that stage were they could joke about things that before would have been too awkward. Like when Dean dated Ginny and how she was now with Harry.

Harry was about to reply when sirens went off. Dean and Harry bolted to their feet and dashed out to see what the problem was. It took about five minutes before they heard a big commotion coming from a certain direction.

Ron headed their way and yelled, "HARRY!"

"Ron! What's going on?" Harry demanded as they ran towards the commotion.

"Rogue Death Eater's have broken into the Ministry. They're heading towards the Department of Mysteries. I'm not sure but I heard they might be heading towards the Time Chamber," Ron informed and both Dean's and Harry's eyes widened.

Since they weren't Unspeakables they didn't know exactly where or what was down there. None of them have been there since their fifth year, and considering what happened, no one was in a hurry to go back. But from what Harry and Hermione had found out is that the Unspeakables research and work on a lot of concepts. Those include: Love, space, time, thought, death, and other things.

If any Death Eater managed to get any sort of information on any of those, they'd be in trouble. If anything on time, or more importantly, time travel landed in their hands, they'd be in worse trouble.

Wands at the ready all of them ran as fast as their feet could carry them. Along the way they ran into some Death Eaters who seemed to be enforcers, there to stop them, or at least slow them down. Dean and a few other Aurors that joined their running group along the way told Harry and Ron to go ahead.

The duo kept running until they reached the room with all the fighting. Spells and curses were being cast left and right. The Death Eaters had a pretty good number on their side but more Aurors were arriving.

As Harry analyzed the battle he realized that the Death Eaters weren't giving it their all. They were stalling. Frowning, Harry slipped away unnoticed and went deeper into the Chamber.

Encased behind some glass and perched up on a pedestal was an ancient ominous looking hourglass with black sand. There were three Death Eaters there. One removed the protective wards around the case while another worked on the glass, and the third was look out.

Knowing that any of these items were dangerous for the common wizard, Harry didn't have time to think about danger and risk it falling into the hands of evil. He jumped out of his hiding place and stunned the look out. The spell breaker took out his wand and fired at Harry. Jumping behind a bookshelf Harry used the spaces between the books to fire at the enemy. The spell breaker fell to the floor stunned as well but the final wizards dodged and hid. There were explosion that caused the walls and items to shake. One blast so powerful caused the hour glass to shake.

Fearing what might happen if that object was magical and broke, Harry ran from behind the bookshelf and caught the hour glass just in time. Heaving a sigh of relief Harry took a moment to read the label that was on the pedestal and whispered, "Sands of Time..."

Harry was about to place it back when the third wizard jump out of his hiding place and aimed at Harry, "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry's eyes widened and in a futile attempt to shield himself he raised the hour glass in front of him. The curse hit the Sands of Time and the glass shattered. The black sand erupted and surrounded Harry and began glowing a dark blue. Confused and a bit afraid Harry tried to move but found himself immobile.

There was a blinding blue light and then Harry felt a falling sensation before he crashed down rather roughly. He was still blinded by the light he couldn't see his surroundings. He heard water dripping heavily, as if it were raining. When he crashed he heard tires screech on wet pavement. Car doors opened and close and he heard footsteps.

"Hey pal, you alright? Buddy?"

"Sir I think he needs a hospital and quick."

"Right...help be put him in the car."

Harry wanted to protest. He needed to get back to the Ministry...he had to make sure everyone was alright. But the headache he had was killer. Darkness was all around him and his mind was beyond foggy. He knew it was a mistake, but he let himself fall deeper into that darkness.

.:~*~:.

When Harry woke up he realized that he was in a hospital of sorts. It wasn't a magical one seeing as nothing was floating and the fact that there was electricity.

The door opened and closed and the man who came in scared Harry...well, more like his idiotic grin creeped Harry out.

"I'm sorry but I just have to ask...what are you?" The man said and Harry frown. That was an American accent. He'd been transported to America?

"Um...sorry?" Harry asked.

"British? Hmm..." the man had a thoughtful expression before he shook his head and continued to smile, "Doesn't matter now. I want to know what you are. I mean...you seem to be human but...you  _can't_  be!"

Harry was panicking inside a little but on the outside he just had a poker face. Seeing that the wizard wasn't going to speak the man continued, "There was a blinding blue light in the sky, it could have been lightning, but it wasn't. It was you. You  _fell_  from the sky!...on my car! That height and the speed of my car should have  _killed_  you...it  _did_  kill you! I took you to the hospital and they admitted you but it was too late. The impact had been too hard. Eight hours later I go to the morgue to see if you had any sort of ID to inform anyone and while I'm there imagine what me and the coroner discover...a pulse! Well first you took a deep breath as if you were resurfacing from being underwater! You weren't conscious but you were alive!  _After_  being dead for  _eight_  hours!"

Harry's eyes were huge and the information sunk in. He was in America, he had been dead for eight hours, and now that he concentrated on his magic he felt an uneasy force mingled with it.

"Hey pal, you okay?" the man asked.

Harry began to hyperventilate before darkness clouded the edge of his vision and he was once more consumed by the darkness.

When he woke up again he groaned when he realized that it hadn't all been a dream. Shaking his head he sat up in bed and tried to think clearly. His magic felt normal once more but that only made him feel slightly better. He was still somewhere unknown and no one else knew where he was.

"Awake again I see. Planning to stay awake longer this time I hope?" the same man entered the room once more and handed Harry a glass of water.

Harry nodded in thanks and gulped down half a glass. "Sorry about before...I think I went into shock."

The man frowned, "Did you not know about your abilities?"

Taking a moment to decide what to do Harry wavered and figured at if anything he could always have Hermione erase this man's memories. "I know I'm  _different_  but the...dying and coming back thing...that's new."  _sort of._ Harry added mentally.

The mans idiotic grin came back full force, "So you are an alien? This is amazing!"

"Um...no, not an alien. Human...just...different," Harry said awkwardly.

The man actually pouted but then shook his head and smiled again, "Doesn't matter what you are, I just want to know!"

"I can't tell you," Harry replied.

"Aw come on pal! This is an incredible discovery! If there are different type of humans out there, we need information!" the man exclaimed.

"I'm sorry I can't." Harry said while shaking his head.

"Is it because your British and the war?" the man asked.

"The war?" Harry echoed.

The man rose an eye brow, "You don't know about the war?"

Harry knew about  _a_  war and he remembered that the item that was hit with a killing curse had been an item from the Time Chamber...could he have gone back in time?

"Whoa there pal. You're hyperventilating again. Just...take it easy," the man said and placed a calming hand on Harry's shoulder.

"What year is it?" Harry croaked out while he shut his eyes and hoped for the best.

"1940," the man replied, instead of confusion his eyes widened in excitement. "Time traveler? Oh this just gets better and better! He pal, you okay? You're going to faint again aren't you?"

Harry didn't reply as he let the darkness encase him one more time.

.:~*~:.

"You have  _got_  to stop fainting pal," the man said when Harry woke up again.

"I don't faint, I pass out," Harry grumbled. He hated when people would tell him he faints. It sounds too girly for him, and a big part of it he blamed on Malfoy for making fun of him in his third year.

"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. So...super human  _and_  time traveler! This is amazing! Come on you have to tell me  _something_!"

"Um...do you mind if I use the loo first?" Harry asked.

"The what?" the man asked.

"You Americans..." Harry rolled his eyes, "Your bathroom."

"Oh, yeah sure. It's over there," the man said as he pointed to the door.

Harry muttered a thanks and went into the bathroom and locked it. He sighed deeply and went over to the mirror and splashed some water in his face. Once that was cleared he pulled out the pouch Hagrid had given him and the one Hermione expanded on the inside. He pulled out his magical hand mirror and tried to call someone. After they graduated(or left Hogwarts, whatever you want to call it) the gang all got communication mirrors that were linked together.

Try as he might his call wouldn't go through. The mirror was intact and there was nothing wrong with his magic.

Harry took several deep breaths and tried to remain calm. Concentrating as hard as he could he sent out a pulse of magic. It would alert him of any other magical signature in the next five hundred yards. He heard the city in the distance and even if he was in 1940's America there would still be wizards around...

But there wasn't.

It took several minutes before his brain let him accept the horrible possibility that the hour glass didn't just send him back in time...it sent him to another world!

Coming out of the bathroom Harry walked over to the bed and looked completely lost.

"You okay pal?" the man asked.

"I...um...no, I don't think so." Harry answered.

"Anything I can help with?" the man asked, excited curiosity gone and replaced with true concern. Harry was grateful, the last thing he needed was a cold hearted insensitive nut job on his case.

Harry shook his head and decided 'what the hell', "I'm not just a time traveler as you guessed it. I'm a wizard, I come from the year 2001, from another world altogether..."

The man's eyes widened, "Like a parallel universe?"

Harry just nodded. Seeing the green eyed man so confused and hurt and alone, the man decided not to comment any further on the questions that were buzzing in his mind. He'd start small and work his way up.

"You know...I can't keep calling you pal for the rest of your stay here. Or future magic man, I mean I can if you like...it's a little awkward though don't you think? Might make a good comic book though."

"My name's Harry. Harry Potter."

"You come from another world...another time...you have magic...and you have a name as boring as  _Harry_? They might as well have named you John!"

Harry glared at the other man and snapped back sarcastically, "Oh yeah, and what fabulous name was bestowed upon you great sir?"

The man smirked, "Howard...Howard Stark."


	2. Dreams at the Stark Expo

Howard stopped in front of a mirror and made sure his bow tie was properly in place. Satisfied with what he saw in the mirror he winked at his reflection before heading to the room where he knew his friend was hiding away at.

Harry James Potter.

That was the name of the man who changed Howard's whole world.  _That_  in itself was something very difficult to do. Normally it was Howard who changed the world for others. He was one of the top and leading minds of the world who was constantly changing the exceptions people had in science. Tonight for example, he was going to present some of his projects to the world. Well, the ones who had a higher success rate anyway.

Harry though, Harry was beyond science. He was magic. Since the day Howard found him, nearly a year ago, Harry continued to be an oddity to Howard. As an inventor, a scientist, an American, and a rich business man, how many men did he know who would gladly sell their soul to be as powerful as Harry?

Lots.

This past year was anything but uneventful. As Harry adapted to the new world and new time, many things occurred. Howard became his only link to the world for one. The billionaire tried to get all the help his new friend needed and wanted, but they also knew there was going to be limitations.

Howard instantly considered Harry a friend. Maybe at first it was more for his burning curiosity and personal gain but eventually he really wanted nothing more than Harry's personal respect and friendship.

Harry was a wonder.

As a businessman he has to deal with all the good  _and_  bad. Normally everything was simple enough, but every now and then there was a disgruntled buyer or owner or employee and things got messy. One of those disgruntled business partners found Howard alone in the parking lot with a knife. Howard honestly thought he was going to die when out of nowhere Harry appeared and disarmed the man. Then proceeded to knock him unconscious and erased his mind about the events and why he had even bothered with Howard in the first place.

Howard met many good men too. As soon as the war started, Howard began to act. He wasn't like other posh rich men who just sat back, gave away money, and took pictures for good press. He did all that  _and_  more! He made weapons and came up for strategies for the American boys in battle. He also funded and advised whenever he could. On his travels to deliver any of those things he ran into some seriously good and dedicated men. For some reason though, none of them were as good as Harry.

Harry was something to marvel at. He had the power to do a lot but was careful with what he did. He never abused it and if he could do something normally instead of with magic, then he did it normally(as boring as that was). He didn't like using his powers in front of Howard either. He blushed every time Howard praised him, like he wasn't used to it. Howard thought that in a world where everyone else he knew could do the same, being amazed by Harry's easiest and simplest trick was somewhat uncomfortable, but Howard couldn't help it.

Magic! Magic was real! Maybe not in his world, but  _somewhere_. It was real somewhere and that was pretty damn amazing to the billionaire.

The one thing that struck Howard the most about Harry was that while he and other humans tried and wanted nothing more than to be something greater, something  _godly_ , Harry was perfectly content just being  _human_.

And boy was he the most human thing Howard had ever seen. Though, many times the billionaire needed to remind his friend of that. How Harry could doubt that, Howard didn't know.

Never was there a time when Harry put himself before anyone. If he saw an old lady needing help crossing the street, he helped. If he saw a child crying he was immediately at their side finding out what was wrong. Heck! One time when some idiot tried to mug him, Harry gave him a pep talk after disarming him!(The creep was confused about his life and actions or something. He wanted to become a dentist but didn't think he could do it. He was really pathetic looking, which was why Howard thought Harry didn't turn him over to the cops. Harry bought him a cup of coffee and sent him on his way with a promise to be good. Normally Howard wouldn't believe such a promise to be kept, but in that case, he sort of did.)

The only problem was Harry's depression. Howard himself wasn't a stranger to that but Harry's seemed...worse. Maybe it was his imagination, or maybe it was that Harry was his first real friend. One who didn't want him for his money or used him for his genius and just enjoyed his company. Seeing someone else in pain when you care about them was far more painful.

Most of the time Harry was either researching away to find his way back to his world and the rest of the time he was exploring the world around him. Some days Howard would convince his friend to help him in the war effort.

It was a bit daunting watching his almost normal friend go from a somewhat common civilian to the obvious war soldier he was secretly inside. Harry thought like a soldier in the front lines, thought like the enemy they were shooting at, thought like the generals leading their men, and most importantly he thought like the families back home wanting their men to return safe and sound.

Tonight though was his expo where he was going to show off and be brilliant. What was the point of being a genius if there's no one around to be amazed? It took him a lot of effort but Harry and him are officially official friends so that meant the green eyed man had to be there for support and encouragement.

Howard didn't even bother to knock as he waltz right into the one of the rooms Harry was using for research.

There were piles beyond piles of books littered around. Diagrams, graphs, maps, scrolls, ancient texts, runes, symbols, and artifacts all over the room. Books from ancient Greece and Egypt. Some from Rome, others from China and Russia. There was also many Latin and Latin American texts. Any form of magical information the wizard and Howard could get their hands on. Harry was doing so much he had filled about three rooms now with research. Still, he doubted he was anywhere near finding his way home.

The wizard himself was sitting at his desk deeply engrossed into the current text he was reading.

Howard felt something in his chest at the realization that Harry trusted him completely that he was not bothered by his presence.

When they first met, Harry was  _so_  defensive. He used his magic to alert him of any other presences near him. No matter how hard Howard tried to surprise the wizard he never could. Weeks later Harry would still snap into attention when Howard or anyone else entered the same room as him. Even when Howard took him to his company. Harry would make himself aware of all the doors and where they led. All emergency exits and primary ones too. Every time someone would walk into the room Harry would stare their way and assess if they were a threat or not.

Harry said that his magic took notice of another person's presence. After enough time, someone's own energy got their own signature and would register as familiar to the magical person and that's how they could tell who's coming near before even laying eyes on the person.

So now that Harry and Howard are friends, and Harry's magic instantly recognized Howard, it told the wizard he has nothing to fear.

Howard smirked as he snatched the book away and slammed it shut.

"Hey!" Harry protest.

"Come on, you got ten minutes to get ready," Howard says with an idiotic smile.

"Ready? For what?" Even though Harry had been in America for nearly a year his accent hadn't weakened in the slightest.

Howard did a dramatic sigh, "You forgot all about my expo?"

Harry winced, "That's tonight?"

"Yes. And you promised to go," Howard said.

"Because you nagged me into it," Harry said as he reached for the book, "I'm sorry Howard, but I need to continue my research."

Howard stepped away from Harry's reach, "You promised Harry. You're a man without money, friends, family, or a proper home. The only thing you've got is your name which isn't known here. All you really have left is your word. It  _has_  to mean something."

Howard smirked when he saw any of Harry's protest die in his mouth. He would never tell his friend that personally. Having a best friend like Harry was so refreshing, Howard would never risk saying such things. However, those may not his words, they were  _Harry's_. When he once asked the wizard how he could be so  _good_ , that's the answer the wizard gave the genius.

Harry sighed, "I have nothing to wear."

Howard's face lit up like if he were Father Christmas, "Now Harry, do you really think you'd be best friends with a Stark and  _not_  be taken care of? Your tux is waiting in your room. Do try to hurry up. And don't bother trying to tame that hair of yours. There will be plenty of dames at the expo who will love it just as wild and messy as it is. They'll think of you as a proper Casanova."

Harry shook his head and rose from his seat while stretching his unmoved muscles. "You're a menace with all that money and charisma of yours, you know that?"

"And yet you still like me," Howard said with what Harry called 'the Stark smile'. It was very much like that of a shark, but too charismatic, that when you do realized the true intent of that smile, it was too late.

"Do I really have to wear a tux?" Harry asked with pleading eyes.

"Put the puppy eyes away. It won't work here. You've been locked up in this room for nearly a week! You need to get out," under the playful banter was underlined worry. Howard, more than anyone, understood bad habits and addictions. Harry may not hit the bottle, but sometimes staring at his friend as he did nothing but research and research without end was like looking into a reflection. Howard sometimes convinced himself that it was worth it. That the science was more important and besides, who did he really have to care about him and his well being?

All that changed when you come to care for someone. Harry had become very dear to him, and thinking that Harry wasn't getting the food or sleep his body needs and inevitably killing his mind, it was unthinkable.

"It's not that bad," Harry said with an eye roll. "Plus, this is important."

"Yes it is. But you need to give your mind some space from your work. Trust me on this. I'm an expert," Howard said.

"Oh really?" Harry asked, unconvinced.

Howard merely rolled his eyes, "Yes. Focusing too much on the problem without having all the available data that you need you'll inevitably twist facts to suit your theories instead of theories into facts. Trust me, a little break is good. With your British natural charm and mesmerizing green eyes you'll be a fair competitor against me for best catch at this event. Now come on, enough stalling. To your room. Get changed and meet me at the car when you're done."

" _Yes father,_ " Harry replied and mimicked a child dragging their feet as he left the room. Howard just chuckled and shook his head.

No, things since he's met Harry had never been boring.

* * *

 

.:~*~:.

Howard let Harry wander around the expo while he went back stage and prepped for his presentation. Harry knew Howard was just being friendly and looking out for him and his health. He was thankful, he really was. Harry really thought he hit the jackpot when he found out who exactly Howard was. There was no one more powerful than him at this moment in this world it seemed. Even so, Harry couldn't help but feel some pity for his new friend.

He may have a genius mind and a lot of money, but as a Potter-Black he knew that it wasn't the money that made his life great. It was the people in his life. With his upbringing he was more thankful for the people that he came to know as friends and family.

Which was why he spent every waking moment possible looking for a way to get back. He would miss Howard a lot when the time came, but he didn't belong in this world.

Still, he was thankful for Howard and his interruption. He was right, of course. Too much time behind those books and his head would just end up hurting.

Though he yearned to find a way back to his world, he was grateful for this world as well. With no one knowing about magic, and being in America, Harry finally had the quiet life he always wanted. The only price he had to pay was that none of his friends were there with him.

Wandering around the expo Harry eventually wandered off to the army sign up center. Had he no family to return to, had Howard not befriended him, had he had papers, he would have thought to enlist as well. He may not have liked war, but he knew it. More so that he could almost not stomach, he was good at it.

Harry knew Howard worried about his mental health as well. Especially when he puts in far more than just two cents in about how to treat war when people asked Howard for advice about it.

He looks at those dressed in uniform and those signing up to join their brothers at arms.

Harry couldn't help but shake his head at the eager young smiling faces around him. They were barely being shipped out and had no idea of what to truly expect. Harry had seen the movies they made to glorify fighting for their country in this world. The wizard understood the patriotic duty these men had, but he still couldn't help but feel sorry for them. They may be physically ready, but they weren't emotionally or psychologically ready.

Killing someone in the name of good was all well and done in stories, but in real life it was not that easy. Seeing someone you know, or even just the stranger that is labeled your enemy, in the front lines when you stand at gun point, at either side of the gun, you wonder what you're really fighting for. What does it all really mean? You look into the face of your kill or killer, and in those final moments you feel this horrible cold numbness wash over you and you question your self worth. That moments you think will last s few seconds never really goes away. It imprints itself on you and becomes your nightmares that plague you everywhere you go.

Who are you to end a life? You wonder about your enemy. You wonder about the life they had. Did they have kids? Were they a brother? Or a husband? Or a father?

Or if it's you and the last face you see is either your killer or a brother in arms begging you to stay with him, you wonder how it all happened. How did it lead to this? Weren't you supposed to return home a hero?You wonder what happens next.

You just wonder.

And in neither of those scenarios do you get the answers, and maybe  _that_  is the real horror over everything else. The not knowing.

No, Harry decided, they weren't mentally prepared for what was to come. They didn't understand that the glory gained isn't for the hero, but for his home and family. The hero usually never made it back.

Harry wanted to yell it to some of these guys because really, some of them were just kids. He held back of course. It wasn't his battle. Though he led his world into war against the Hitler of their world, it had been very personal for him. Here, as a nameless ghost, Harry had no say whatsoever.

He was about to turn back when someone caught his eye. It was a very skinny kid standing in front of the soldier in uniform mirror. He and an actual soldier got into a bit of an argument. Harry could sympathize with the kid some.

How badly had he wanted to be allowed to just be trained and then just fight Voldemort? But he was thin, just like the kid, and wasn't trained properly. He knew it wasn't a right comparison, but it was close enough. With all the men heading off to war, to be told  _you_  couldn't, it was a bit insulting to say the least.

As the soldier left his friend after a hug the kid called out, "Don't win the war until I get there."

The soldier saluted his friend and then went after some girls.

Harry couldn't help but run up to the kid who was tripped by an older, taller, and stronger fellow.

"Oi! Watch where you're going you neanderthal," Harry called out. It was his hero complex kicking in, and maybe a lot more sympathy because he saw himself so much in this kid.

"What are ya gonna do about it,  _your_   _majesty_ ," the guy mocked Harry. A small group forming around them. Some were good noble soldiers ready to step in if things got bad, others were also jokers ready to help pick on the foreigner.

Harry poked the guy in the chest and added a glare as he said, "Watch your tone. You're disrespecting your uniform."

The guy glared and huffed, "That so?" Then he pulled his arm back, fist formed and was about to attack Harry when Harry's instincts took over. He easily stopped the punch by grabbing it in his fist, then gripping onto the wrist, twisted the guy's arm as he made his way behind the guy. Harry kneed the back of the guy's knees and he fell. Then he used his other hand to forced the guys head onto his chest. All this happened in little to no seconds.

When Harry let the guy go he fell on his face, got up, looked at Harry and scoffed and went away.

Harry looked at the crowd that had gathered and said, "Well? Nothing to see here. Off you go." and everyone scurried away.

"That was a amazing," the blonde kid said.

Harry shrugged, "Nothing too special. You okay?"

"I'm alright. How did you do that? No offense, but you aren't much bigger than me," the kid said.

The kid had a point. Harry was only about a half head taller than the kid, but even though Harry looked thin, years during and after the war helped his body become pretty well toned. Though Harry liked the element of surprise to be on his side so his clothes were usually somewhat baggy. Not too much like the clothes he had to wear as he grew up in his cousins hand-me-downs, but enough to make people underestimate him. Though he was wearing a nice fitting tux because of Howard, his friend gave it to him bit bigger because he also knew.

"I'm clever," Harry replied.

"How's being clever teach you that?" the kid asked.

Harry chuckled and replied, "Little piece of handy advice kid, you can have all the strength in the world but it'll mean nothing if you don't have the brains in how to use it."

The kid nodded, "Makes sense. But still..."

Harry smiled and replied, "Speed. So you're not strong. So what? Be smart and play to your strengths. Don't complain about your weakness and focus on what you got instead of what you don't. Maybe once you're comfortable with your own strengths you can focus on doing something about your weakness. Anyway, it was easy to see that he was going to try to punch me with his right arm since he was right handed."

"How'd you know that?"

"He was wearing a watch on his left wrist. People usually wear watches on the wrist opposite of their dominant hand. Meaning that his instincts would have him punch me with his right arm. I caught that and I gripped his wrist instead of the fist. That gives me a better grip. Acting on my reflexes I twisted his arm behind his back. The back of the knees are a weak point, made him fall to the ground and then forcing his head down gives him a disadvantage. All thought up, up here," Harry replied as he tapped his head.

"Wow...that's amazing." the kid said with a smile and looking at Harry the way many did. The looks he's gotten as The Boy Who Lived, as The Chosen One, and as The Defeater of Voldemort.

"Not really. So, you going to war?" Harry asked.

The kids face got serious and answered, "I'm trying."

Harry nodded and though he knew that he couldn't change this kid's want to try, he could offer some advice, "I'm sure you'll get there somehow. I know the look in your eyes. You'll sneak your way onto a ship if you have to. Mind if I offer you some advice?"

"Anything," the kid answered. His stare was even more awed than before. Harry understood that too. How many people had told this small thin child to just give up? And here was this man, this solider in his own right, telling him not only that he'll make it one day, but offering advice too? It reminded Harry very much on how Remus and Sirius believed in him and wanted others to see him as an adult and not a kid.

"Observe." was all Harry said.

"What?" the kid echoed.

"You want to succeed and live to tell your tales?" the kid nodded, "Then observe. Observe everything. What fits, what doesn't. What's supposed to be there but isn't. What's there but shouldn't be. Question everything and trust your gut. Your instincts are there to help you. Listen to them, and they might just save your life."

The kid nodded again. Then he swallowed and asked, "Anything else?"

Harry gave the kid a critical once over before he looked at the kid right in the eye and said, "War is a horrible thing. The glory a lot of you think you'll get is as imaginary as Hitler's fantasy about world domination. When you make it out there, don't fight for glory or power. But don't fight for the sake of fighting either. Find a purpose and make it a good one."

"Were you a soldier?" the kid asked skeptically.

"Yes." Harry answered without giving anything away.

"What did  _you_  fight for?" the kid asked.

Harry thought it over. "I didn't have much. And an evil man took everything I had until I almost had nothing. So that's what I fought for. I fought for them. My friends and family I had left. I fought for a world where they could live without fear or sadness. Is that a good answer?"

The kid nodded and then snapped his head up as if he'd just remembered something. Then he extended his hand, "I'm Steve."

"Harry." the wizard replied as he shook the blondes hand firmly.

They then silently looked at the solider in uniform mirror and Steve asked, "Do you really think I can do it?"

"I think when you get there, someone should warn Hitler," Harry replied.

Steve smirked, "Ya think?"

"Yes. You know the old saying about demons?" Harry asked.

"No," Steve said with confusion.

"It says that demons run when a good man goes to war. Right now Hitler is one hell of a demon on the world. With a good man like you as his opponent, he has something to fear."

"You barely know me. I might not even make it. This war could last...years," Steve said.

"Maybe years, but not forever. And Hitler won't win," Harry said.

"You sound very confident," Steve replied.

Harry shrugged, "A wise man once said that through out all of history there have been tyrants. And all through out history they've seemed invincible for a time, but they all fall. They always fall. And know why?"

"Because we won't let em win," Steve said with a bit more confidence after hearing Harry's speech.

"Exactly. Well Steve, it's been nice meeting you but I have to find my friend. When you get back...find me. We'll share stories over a drink or two," Harry said as he began to walk off. He had no idea why he said that.  _If_  the kid was accepted into war he might not make it back. And even if he did, Harry might not be here.

"What's your last name? So I can look you up when I get back," Steve called out.

"Potter. Harry Potter."

"It's a promise then Mr. Potter. When I get back you're buying me and my friend Bucky congratulatory drinks," Steve said with a smile.

"Yeah. When you get back. Promise," Harry said with a smile of his own and went off to find Howard. Steve walked further into the sign up center. Unknown to them, that they were heard by a certain doctor looking for a candidate for something special.


	3. To The Little Guy

Trouble Finds Him

Chapter 3: To The Little Guy

"Mr. Potter? May I have a word?"

"It depends. I'm quite fond of a few. And eavesdropping is rude ya know," Harry replied as he turned. He was just about to leave the sign up center and find Howard.

"After your performance I think you cannot blame me for being curious," the man said.

Harry shrugged, "It wasn't anything special. What can I help you with Mr...?"

"I am Dr. Abraham Erskine and I would have to disagree with you Mr. Potter. You seem to be very special," the man introduced himself while extending a hand out to Harry.

Harry accepted the hand and shook it firmly. "I repeat my question Dr. Erskine, what can I help you with?"

"After your courageous performance I could not help but be curious."

"You've already said that. What are you curious about?" Harry asked.

Dr. Erskine gave a one shoulder shrug, "You do not look very old Mr. Potter. And yet, you hold the eyes of someone who is very tired. Very tired and sad and has seen too much. Eyes one who is as young as you should not have. Plus I can see the look you give these men. Do you not believe they are doing the right thing?"

"They're fighting for their country. They believe they're doing what's right," Harry replied.

"But that was not what I asked you," Dr. Erskine said.

"You want to know what I think?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"More like...I am curious as to why you look at them with knowing pity," Dr. Erskine replied.

"I don't think they understand what the reality of war is," Harry answered.

"And what is it?"

Harry looked at the man before him closely before answering, "You already know. Though most people forget that the first country the Nazi's invaded was their own, I'm not most people. And I'm not American, and neither are you. You know what happens out there. I'm sure I don't need to tell you again."

Dr. Erskine gave Harry a tired and wary smile, "No. No you do not."

"I'll only ask once more doctor. What can I help you with?" Harry asked.

"I am working with the American government on something very special. Something that will help greatly in the war. Something that will make a good man greater. And I need a candidate. Would you be interested?" Dr. Erskine asked.

"No," Harry answered plainly.

"I thought you would say that," Dr. Erskine said with a knowing smile, "So let me ask you this. What do you think of Steven?"

"What about him?" Harry asked.

"Do you think he should go to war?" Dr. Erskine asked.

"That's what he wants," Harry answered.

"Do you think it wise? From your personal experience, do you think he should go?" Dr. Erskine asked.

Harry raised an eye brow, "Honestly?"

Dr. Erskine nodded, "Honestly."

"Physically speaking I think they'll be saving him by keeping him on this side of the Atlantic," Harry replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And not physically speaking?" Dr. Erskine coaxed.

Harry took a minute as he examined the doctor in front of him and thought of his answer carefully. "On a moral reason...I think the army needs Steve. When you're witnessing the worst of humanity you might just rest a little better knowing there's someone like him out there."

"He's little," Dr. Erskine commented.

"Maybe," Harry said with a shrug, "But so is his ego."

Dr. Erskine chuckled, "You are very different Mr. Potter. Are you sure you aren't interested? This could change your life forever."

Harry smirked, "Trust me doctor. I don't need to be any more different."

"Well, I had to try. I should leave you be. But one more thing," Dr. Erskine said as he dove into his pocket and took out a business card, "This is the address to where I am working. You are more then welcomed to stop by any time you wish."

"I don't know much about science," Harry said.

Dr. Erskine waved it off, "Anyone can learn science. But not everyone can understand humanity. You'll be gladly accepted into the lab Mr. Potter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a soldier to talk to."

Harry watched the man go into the building. Green eyes examined the card in his hands before pocketing it and going off to find his friend.

.:~*~:.

"You're awfully quiet today. Something wrong?" Harry asked as he and Howard ate. Usually the genius would have someone bring them food to either whichever room Harry was researching in, or the lab where Harry would join him.

Today was one of the few occasions in which both the genius and the wizard would eat at an actual dinner table. Harry pointed out Howard's silence because normally when he's in the presence of the genius, he's pummeled with questions. No matter if they're about his world back home, trying to figure out what type of war he was in, how his research was going, or even just mundane every day things. Howard loved to talk and loved having someone around who would not just hear him but listen to what he has to say.

Even though Harry hated talking about himself, Howard would eventually get a detail or two out of him. In his attempts to get Harry away from his books for a while Howard's even tried getting Harry into some technology. There were some mishaps when Harry's magic interacted badly with some of the tech but for the most part Harry enjoyed it. He didn't understand it to Howard's level, but Howard promised that he understood it better than the normal person.

Tonight however, his friend was very quiet. Harry was used to Howard's quiet. When the genius is working on a project or experiment he blocked out the entire world, including Harry. When Harry passed too much time without being interrupted by his friend he would grab up a few books and a notebook or two and go into the lab. Neither of them spoke but they both knew the other is there. With 6 billion people on the planet, it was a bit pathetic that they felt so disconnected and alone. This way though, it wasn't that bad.

Howard shrugged, "Just thinking."

"Nothing scientific though. Obviously not a girl. Anything I can help with?" Harry asked.

"And how'd you know that?" Howard asked.

"You're a Stark. Unless you got someone pregnant it's impossible for you to have girl troubles." Harry replied.

"Good point. How do you know it's not something scientific though?"

"You never shut up. Even when you're thinking. You just mumble to yourself a lot. Or somethings you talk to me even though I don't have the slightest idea of what you're talking about," Harry replied with a smirk.

Howard smiled back and said, "It helps me think better talking my ideas to someone."

"So...spill. What's eating you," Harry said as he pushed his plate away.

"Nothing too important," Howard said as he picked as his food.

"Now I know there's something wrong. Nothing that lasts in your mind for so long isn't not important." Harry said as he crossed his arms and gave his friend a meaningful stare.

Howard sighed, "I just don't know how to do something."

"Do what?" Harry pressed.

"Say something without upsetting you. There really is no way of saying this without you getting mad," Howard whispered.

Taking in his friends posture, the emotions on his face, and his past experience with bad news Harry picked up his fork and started eating again. After a bite he asked, "So? Which of your projects were a hit at the fair? I heard about the hover car. Need to work on that a bit hm?"

"Harry..." Howard looked up at the wizard with a determined expression.

"I was at the library and they redirected me to this little book shop. It's one of those places you need to know what it is otherwise you just pass it. It has a lot of very old texts. I think I can find some clues in some of them," Harry continued. He had an idea of what Howard might say and he didn't want to hear it. He knew that eventually his friend might say this to him, but he never wanted this day to come. He didn't want those words to be spoken.

"You wanted to know what was on my mind. So I'm going to tell you," Howard said, face grown fierce and more determined.

Harry pushed back on his chair and stood up abruptly. "The meal was top notch like always. I'm finished now. I'll be in my room."

"It's been a year!" Howard shouted which stopped the wizard in his tracks.

"Don't." Harry demanded.

"It's been a year. How close have you actually gotten?" Howard spoke more gently this time.

"Shut up." Harry said as he lowered his head and tightened his hands into fist.

"I don't want to say this Harry. But I have to. I'm not saying give up. I'm just saying...consider it a possibility," Howard said lowly.

"I can't. I won't...I will never stop," Harry hissed.

"Harry! I told you, you are smarter than most people. I wasn't lying about that. With that cleverness, and your ability to see things so clearly, it must have crossed your mind. And if it's true...I don't want you to waste your life," Howard explained, as he too stood from his chair.

"Waste my life? I had a life Howard!" Harry yelled as he turned and glared at his supposed friend. He was angry right now and he wanted Howard to know it was directed at him. Of course the thought had crossed his mind. When his body had given up and was beyond tired but his mind refused to quit, all those sleepless nights when his mind betrayed him and sent him to the darkest parts of his situation. He made this illusion for himself though. As long as he didn't say those words aloud, it wasn't real. He still had a chance to return home to his friends and family. That this wasn't just some damn fluke or a cruel joke of fate. "Have! I have a life somewhere and I will get it back! I will!"

"But what if you can't! If you have to spend the rest of your life here Harry, I don't want you rotting away in a cold, dark room!" Howard cried out.

"I don't expect you to understand," Harry spat. "But let me explain Howard. There are people somewhere out there who mean more to me than my own life. People who I can't live without. I need to get back there. And so long as I breathe, I will never give up...I'll be in my room"

"You can have a life here Harry..." Howard said.

Harry fled the room and slammed the door behind him when he entered his room.

.:~*~:.

They avoided each other for a few days. Howard knew that trying to talk with the wizard might just get him hexed, so he avoided his green eyed friend. The genius wanted to apologize for hurting his friend's feelings but he knew in his mind that it needed to be said. Harry was making an illusion for himself, and even though Howard would do the same if he had people who meant the same to him as Harry's friends meant to the wizard, but they also couldn't ignore reality. The reality was that Harry was in a different world. He was in a different world and the only one of his kind. Harry needed to consider and make plans if his trip here was a one way.

Accepting that your old life was really gone was difficult. Howard imagined it was a bit harder for Harry because Howard basically did tell him to give up. He told the wizard to surrender his hopes of ever going home. As a military man of some sort, it's something no soldier ever wants to hear. Something no soldier would easily accept.

While thinking of a way to approach Harry, Howard busied himself with his current project. He was helping a doctor build machines to an experiment involving some pretty nifty ideals. It was all plausible theories, but actually being able to do them was somewhat of a dream. Even if he could correctly build the machines Dr. Erskine needed, Howard didn't know what would happen to the test subject.

"Busy?"

Howard looked up from his designs and looked at his friend. The bags under his eyes were more profound. The wizard probably hasn't slept since the last time he saw him.

"Just putting some last minute touches on these plans," Howard replied.

"What are they?" Harry asked as he came closer and looked at the blueprints. It looked like a capsule of some sort.

"Friend of mine made this serum. It enhanced basically everything in the human body. Of course it needs more that just to be injected into a single vein. It need to be spread evenly and accurately plus there are other variable. Some of them we know, others we can guess at, and some, well..." Howard shrugged before looking at his friend again and carefully asking, "You okay?"

"I'm sorry," Harry replied as he looked away.

"For?" Howard asked. He wasn't doing it to patronize the wizard. The last thing he wanted was to agitate his friend in any way. This was just Howard's way. If something was very unpleasant then he'd just ignored it until it went away. If Harry wanted to live in an illusion, then he'd support it. It'd bother him some, but he'd support his friend. Harry was the only one he'd play dumb for.

"You know what for. For being a twat. You're right. I may not like it, but you're right. You're always right," Harry said as he idly picked up a tool.

"Harry..."

Harry raised a hand to stop him, "It's been a year. Nearly a year. I honestly don't know what's worse. Thinking I won't ever see anyone from my other life ever again or knowing that eventually I'll have to give up.

"I don't want to give up, but I also can't do this anymore. No matter how hard I look or think, I'm nowhere near finding a way back."

Howard shuffled awkwardly on his feet before he straightened, "What now?"

Harry sighed, "Now...I set this aside as a side project and work on it on my free time."

"What about the not free time?" Howard ask.

Harry handed him a business card and Howard examined it. "I met some bloke at the fair and our conversation was interesting to say the least. He invited me along and I want to help. While I'm here I might as well help get rid of Hitler."

Howard smirked, "You sir, are very lucky."

"How so?" Harry asked.

"Dr. Erskine is my friend who invented the serum. In fact tomorrow I am meeting him and the test subject. Want to come?" Howard asked with his Stark smile back in place. Howard was glad that he and Harry were on good terms again.

"Steve," Harry said as he looked closer at the blueprints.

"Excuse me?" Howard asked confused.

"The candidate's name is Steve. I met him too. And I'd be going regardless. Though I suppose it's nice to have a ride. I hate taking the tube." Harry said, still scanning the blueprints and anything Howard had laying about.

"You Brits and your odd words. It's a subway," Howard said with a joking smile.

"Oh shut it you Yank," Harry replied with an equally playful smile. Then he got serious, "Is it going to work, what ever this is?"

"Theoretically? Yes," Howard replied.

"Not very convincing Howard," Harry deadpanned.

"Sorry pal, but this has never been done before. Not successfully anyway." Harry gave Howard a pointed look, "The subject who used it first was impatient and used it even though he knew it wasn't ready. The serum is ready now."

"But there is still many things that can go wrong," Harry finished for Howard.

"Yes. But come on, have some faith in me. I am the one working on the machines." Howard said confidently.

"And you got everything?" Harry asked.

"All the plans, best materials money can buy, and all the equations double checked," Howard replied.

"What will this do to him exactly?" Harry asked.

"He'll get stronger, better, more." Howard said.

Harry nodded, "What time are we meeting?"

"Early. We have to get there and prep. Not that I doubt the scientist there, but you know, they aren't me." Howard said with that Stark smile of his again.

"Right. Well I guess I'll see you in the AM," Harry said as he patted Howard's shoulder and then left the lab.

Howard watched his best friend go before smiling to himself like if he were Father Christmas and triple checked his equations before going to bed himself. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten.

.:~*~:.

When Howard's driver dropped them off by an old antique shop Harry glared slightly at the people around the shop. It was obvious to him that the two seemingly beggars next door were actually trained military men on guard. That didn't surprise Harry. If this was actually a top secret lab of sorts, it's what he expected. No, what had his instincts flaring up were the two men near the car behind theirs.

"Everything okay Har?" Howard asked as he looked around.

Harry masked his features and nodded, "Fine. Just...fine."

Howard looked at Harry carefully before shrugging and going inside. Walking into the lab they quickly ran into a familiar face.

"Mr. Potter. I hoped I'd see you again soon," Dr. Erskine greeted them as they came in.

"Hello again doctor," Harry said as he shook the doctor's hand.

"And you know Mr. Stark?" Dr. Erskine asked.

"Yes. I had no idea he was helping you. Small world I suppose," Harry replied.

"Yes. Seems so. Anyway, Mr. Stark, would you mind checking all of the machinery? Mr. Potter you are more than welcomed to look around or take a seat upstairs. Everyone should be here shortly." Dr. Erskine said and Harry nodded.

Harry stood near the doors and leaned over the railing, watching everyone down below work. When the doors opened Harry stood his full height and smiled slightly at seeing Steve again.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Hello again Steve. And please, call me Harry," Harry said as he shook hands with Steve. Everyone stopped what they're doing to look up at the newcomers before returning to their work.

"What are you doing here Mr. Po- I mean Harry? You gonna join me?" Steve asked and you could hear the nervousness in his voice.

Harry shook his head, "Nah. They need a full blooded Yank in there. I'm afraid I don't qualify."

"Agent Peggy Carter," Peggy introduced herself and then asked strictly, "Are you authorized to be here? You're dressed like a civilian. And not one I was aware was coming here."

"Harry James Potter ma'am. Personally invited by Dr. Erskine, I'm friends with Steve, and best friends with the lunatic with the sunglasses while indoors," Harry stood as his full height and stared at her right in the eyes.

"Hey! I heard that!" Howard called out.

"Then stop eavesdropping. It's rude." Harry replied without breaking eye contact.

They broke eye contact when Steve cleared his throat. Peggy looked from Harry to Steve and then led Steve down to where Dr. Erskine was. Harry followed but went to wait by one of the machines on the lower platform. Once down there Dr. Erskine welcomed them, "Good morning."

Someone flashed a picture and Dr. Erskine looked at them with disapproval and said, "Please, not now."

Harry leaned against the console and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at everyone in the room. The guys in lab coats were nothing more than scientist. Civilians with very little to no military training. Howard was running back and forth checking all of the machines. There were some military men stationed here and there, which Harry expected. There was Agent Peggy Carter who was trying to make it seem like she wasn't looking at him, and failing. From where he stood he could see Steve's form, though his back was turned to him. Harry didn't need to be a genius to read the blonde's body language. It screamed nervousness and tension.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Erskine asked.

Steve nodded.

"Good. Take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat," Dr. Erskine instructed.

While Steve did just that, Harry turned and payed attention to the people up in the booth. There were a few. Some of them were military coming to see how their experiment will go. Some were politicians come to see that their money isn't being wasted. Some were journalist and businessmen. Harry analyzed their threat level and for the most part it was what he expected. Though there was something wrong. His magic was acting up a bit and fueling his instincts. Something wasn't right here.

Harry turned back and met the accusing stare of Peggy Carter and then watched as Steve got into place.

"Comfortable?" Harry heard Dr. Erskine ask.

Taking a breath to calm himself, Steve replied with, "It's a little big."

Harry and Dr. Erskine smiled at his response.

"You save me any of that schnapps?" Steve asked.

Dr. Erskine made a face and said, "Not as much as I should have. Sorry. Next time. Mr. Stark, how are your levels?"

Steve looked at the man who came up to him who said, "Levels at 100%"

"Good," Dr. Erskine replied.

Howard stepped up somewhat close to Steve as he analyzed him and said, "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready...as we'll ever be."

Steve's eyes widened a bit and Harry had to suppress an eye roll. Howard and his dramatics.

"Agent Carter? Don't you think you and Mr. Potter would be more comfortable up in the booth?" Dr. Erskine asked.

Peggy jumped a bit in attention and then said, "Yes, of course. Sorry. This way Mr. Potter?"

Harry stood up and looked from Dr. Erskine, to Steve, to Howard. Sighing, the wizard joined the other Brit up in the booth.

Dr. Erskine took the microphone and tested it out, "Do you hear me? Is this on?" when everyone in the booth turned to look at him he continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace."

Harry listened as he watched the nurses prep the machine around Steve. He also glanced around him when a spike in his magic flared. His instincts told him that danger was close, too close. But he remained calm until he knew for sure what his magic was warning him about.

"We begin with a series of micro-injections into the subject's muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays.

Dr. Erskine put the microphone down and walked back to Steve's side as a nurse injected something into his left arm. Steve winced and then opened his eyes and said, "That wasn't so bad."

"That was penicillin," Dr. Erskine replied. He then turned to his scientists and said, "Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two...one."

As some levers were pulled and the serum began to be injected Dr. Erskine turned to Howard and said, "Now, Mr. Stark."

Howard pulled a knob and the machine in which Steve was laying on began to move until it encased him completely.

Some hoses were added to the pod as the doctor knocked on the glass and spoke, "Steven? Can you hear me?"

"Probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" was Steve's mumbled reply.

Dr. Erskine smiled slightly as he turned to Howard once more and said," We will proceed."

As Howard and the others fiddled with the machines, the people in the booth looked uneasy on different levels. Harry noted that the general and the senators were for similar reasons. They worried about the success of the experiment and what it meant for their country and it's people. There was still something bothering Harry but he just couldn't place his finger on it.

"That's 10%," Howard called out as a light began to shine from inside the pod. "Twenty percent. Thirty. That's 40%."

"Vital signs are normal," someone called out.

"That's 50%," Howard called out. "Sixty. Seventy."

At seventy Steve started to scream and agent Peggy immediately stood from her seat and left the room. It was in her leaving that Harry noticed what was bugging him. It was one of the guys in the suit. They were...too happy. Interested or intrigued Harry understood, but the level of their happiness. The last time he saw that type of happiness he was being dragged to the Malfoy Manner by snatchers. Harry immediately followed after Peggy. He needed to be closer to his friends with a clear view of them and the possible threat.

"Steven!" Dr. Erskine called as he ran to the pod. "STEVEN!"

"Shut it down!" Peggy called out.

"STEVEN!" Dr. Erskine yelled as he banged on the pod.

"SHUT IT DOWN!" Peggy yelled.

"Kill the reactor Mr. Stark! Shut it down! Kill it!" Dr. Erskine called out and Howard was about to reach for the off button when Steve's voice rang out.

"NO! DON'T! I CAN DO THIS!"

They shared an uneasy look before Howard continued, "Eighty. Ninety. That's 100%!"

There were a lot of sparks all around the machines and the pod Steve was in continued to glow until it dimmed off completely. Everyone was quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

"Mr. Stark!" Dr. Erskine called out. Howard nodded and opened up the pod. Inside...no longer the little guy, but the first of many, a new line of super soldiers.

"Steven. Steven?" Dr. Erskine said as he helped Steve get down with Howard's help. Harry and Peggy soon joined them.

"I did it..." Steve mumbled.

"Yeah...yeah, you did it," Dr. Erskine agreed with a smile.

"You actually did it," Howard said amazed.

"How do you feel?" Peggy asked.

Steve was panting a bit but replied, "Taller..."

As she helped him with his shirt Harry rolled his eyes and smirked. Peggy said, "You look taller."

"How do you like Brooklyn now Senator?" the colonel asked.

"I think it's the folks in Berlin who are about to get nervous." the senator replied.

As people came up to congratulate the doctor and his staff, Dr. Erskine noticed the man Harry had a bad feeling about. Harry too, noticed as the man took out a lighter. Within seconds there was an explosion and Harry acted on instinct. Someone yelled, "Stop him! Stop him!" as the man in the suit grabbed the remaining vial of serum and pulled out a gun. As he fired Harry pushed Dr. Erskine away and was shot instead. Harry stumbled a bit and clutched as his wounds as blood started to cover his hands. The man in the suit ran up the stairs.

Peggy shot at the man but he continued until he was out of the building. Steve ran to Harry's side, "Harry!"

"S-stop...s-stop...'im," Harry managed as blood made it's way to his mouth.

Steve looked torn but when he saw Peggy go after the man he nodded and turned to Howard and Dr. Erskine, "Take care of him. I'll be right back."

As he left there was chaos. The senator and other businessmen were being escorted out for their own safety by military officials. The colonel and the other military men that remained went off to see damage and tried to see what they could do to help.

Howard and Dr. Erskine were at Harry's side, "Harry! Hang on pal. You're going to be fine. Just hang on." Howard said as he tried to keep himself from panicking.

"Ho-howard...'m dyin," Harry mumbled.

"Don't say that pal. Don't say that. You're going to be fine," Howard said. "MEDIC!"

"Hang on Mr. Potter. Help is on the way," Dr. Erskine said as he accepted some basic medical supplies and tried to help Harry's wounds.

"Howard!" Harry stressed, "I'm dying!"

Howard snapped at the words and he stuttered out, "W-will it be l-like last time?"

"Dunno...but get...get me..." Harry tried to speak but he was getting weaker by the second.

But Howard understood perfectly. He got up and got ready to pull Harry up. He said to the doctor, "Help me get him to the car."

"Mr. Stark, we cannot move him! He will die before he leaves the building," Dr. Erskine's face was grim as he uttered those words.

Howard knew he looked a bit crazed when he snapped, "Just trust me!"

Dr. Erskine didn't look convinced and Howard dropped his voice into a whisper, "You can sense it can't you? That he's different. Please...just trust me."

Still not anymore convinced than before Dr. Erskine nodded anyway and helped Howard carry Harry to his car. His wound was still bleeding and by the time they reached Howard's home, Harry was dead.

"Mr. Stark...he is dead."

"I know...but I need you to continue trusting me. Just a few more hours," Howard said as he and his driver took Harry inside. Howard placed Harry on a specialized medical bed in his lab and attached all sorts of the machines to Harry. Of course he didn't show any vitals since he was dead.

"Mr. Stark..." Dr. Erskine's voice was full of remorse and sadness, but also pity. He knew that Mr. Stark didn't have many, if any, people in his inner circle of friends. If Mr. Potter was really his best friend like the green eyed man claimed, he could only imagine what the genius was going through.

The now dead man had saved his life, Dr. Erskine thought the least he could do was be patient with his best friend. Stark has always been odd, so the doctor would bear through the odd way of mourning Mr. Stark has chosen.

After nearly six hours of silently waiting, Dr. Erskine was going to attempt to make Mr. Stark head to bed when something...impossible happened.

Harry's pale corpse took in a gulp of air. As he did the machines that had been on all this time began to work. Mr. Potter's eyes opened, and though he looked dazed, he was very much alive.

"How...?" Dr. Erskine asked, completely lost.

"Told you doc...don't need to be more different," Harry whispered before he fell back into unconsciousness.

"Mr. Potter!"

"Don't worry. He did this last time too. It'll be a while before he has the energy to stay fully conscious. Every now and then he'll wake up for a few minutes but then he'll pass out. It's passed out, not fainted. He hates it when you say faint," Howard replied with a goofy smile on his face. Majorly overly relieved it was like last time.

"What on Earth is going on, Mr. Stark?" Dr. Erskine demanded incredulously.

"It's one hell of a story doc. But one I think you'll enjoy. Now, since Harry saved your life, what I'm about to tell you, you can't tell a soul." Howard said as he led Dr. Erskine to his study and more importantly, his bar.


	4. Choices

Trouble Finds Him

Chapter 4: Choices

* * *

Harry felt weightless and cold, as he was surrounded by darkness. He briefly remembered waking up, and seeing Dr. Erskine and Howard. That meant that they had all gotten away safely, and that his Master of Death powers were still with him.  

After the battle of Hogwarts he wondered a bit about that. He knew he lost the Stone after talking with his parents, Remus, and Sirius. He threw the Wand away after he broke it in half. The only thing he kept was the Cloak, but that was more for sentimental reasons rather than actual use (though he did use it a lot during his Auror days).

In the back of his mind though, he had this nagging feeling. That feeling mimicked the feeling he had when he tapped into his magic; like there was something more mixed in with his own magic. He noticed something else too. Compared to the others, his magic supply was bigger and he regained his magical energy much faster. He was warned by the healers that using up all his magic and being forced to tap into his magical core for emergencies was dangerous; that it was fatal. But he had done it plenty of times before.

It was then that he began to theorize that maybe all of his Master of Death powers weren't completely gone.

But it was when he got settled into Howard's home that he was sure of it. He somehow still had some of his Master of Death powers. He said some because he wasn't sure if he had them all. After waking up and exploring some of the new world that he entered, he tried summoning some spirits. At first he failed, but rationalized that maybe it didn't work because he was in another world, and therefore couldn't contact the spirits of his family. Harry didn't give up then though. The first time he helped Howard in the war effort and gave some advice, someone had interrupted the meeting with bad news of a platoon squad dying. Harry grabbed a file when no one was looking and tried his hardest to summon the spirits of the dead soldiers. He didn't have any luck.

He couldn't raise the dead and that was the only hallow he could test. He didn't bring the cloak with him and he didn't have the power to become invisible. How was he supposed to test out the wand? He didn't have it, and what was he supposed to do even if he did have it? There was no other magical person he could challenge to see if he could always win.

He had none of the Hallows, so he shouldn't have any of their powers. And he supposed he didn't. But then, why did he come back from the dead the first time? Why come back now? Or rather, how?

"I cannot see you," said a raspy, ancient voice.

"Who's there?" Harry demanded. In a swirling movement that was followed by a falling sensation, Harry stood in what seemed to be the Grand Central Station over-toned with white. It was like when he appeared at Kings Cross Station when he died fighting Voldemort.

"I cannot see you," the same voice repeated again.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded as he looked around for the voice. It was like an echo that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"You know who I am," the voice said.

In the over-toned whiteness of the station there was a black blur that caught Harry's attention. In the distance there was a shape forming. Harry tried to focus his sight on it, but it was impossible. The image flickered every other second. One second it was an old man in a black suit and cane, then it would look like a shapeless black mist, then a giant skeletal monster with leather bat wings, then it would switch to what looked like a female form, and lots more which Harry could barely look at before he changed again, not really letting him see the form long enough to describe it.

As Harry walked closer to that entity a familiar feeling washed over him. He recognized it immediately. It was the same feeling he got when he tapped into his core. It was the feeling he got when he was surrounded by the dead. It was the feeling that clung to him for a few days after he first woke up in this world.

"Death," Harry whispered.

" _Master_ ," Death sneered.

"So it's true. I still hold the title?" Harry asked.

Death's form stayed as the old man for a minute as he nodded, then switched to the shapeless form. "Why are you so many forms?"

"I am an entity nearly as old as time. I have many forms, many names, and many versions. People see me as they were raised to see me. You, as my  _master_ , see all my forms," Death replied.

"I didn't want this title," Harry said as he sensed Death's hostility.

"Yet you still have it," Death said.

"If you don't like it, why let me live?" Harry asked.

"I cannot see you," Death said once more.

"Yes, you've said it before. What does it mean?" Harry asked.

"I cannot see you," Death repeated.

Harry sighed and asked, "Why can't you see me?"

"Because you are hidden from me; even now, I do not know what you look like. I cannot take you," Death answered.

"Then how can we be having this conversation?" Harry asked.

"You've spared one of the souls that rightfully belonged to me. I was near as his time approached. When you spared him I was able to sense you," Death replied.

"Why am I hidden from you?" Harry asked impatiently. Death or not, he was getting very irritated with the lack of response.

"You know the answer," Death replied.

"No, I don't!" Harry cried.

"Another version of me, in another world, has told me the reason. You know it too," Death replied.

"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded.

"The version of me from the world you come from. It told me the reasons why you are my master, and why I cannot see you," Death replied.

"Explain yourself. Now," Harry demanded.

"There are many worlds, and different realities. All hold the same earth, but different possibilities. There are few things that are the same; Death being one. Death is everywhere. Death is always there, in all the worlds. Thousands of forms I have because there are many more beliefs," Death explained.

Harry's mind raced. From what he understood, because Death was beyond universal, because it was  _everywhere_ , Death was one of the only connections to all of the worlds. If Death can communicate with his other forms, maybe he, Master of Death, can use that to get back to his own world!

"No," Death said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You may be hidden from me, but you do not have everything you need to travel through the worlds," Death replied.

"But you know how I got here?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Death replied.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Harry asked with irritation.

"No," Death replied.

"Then why are you here!" Harry yelled in anger.

"To warn you," Death said. "I may not be able to see you, but there are things far worse than me out there. I'm sure you know perfectly what I mean. As my  _master_ , I feel it my obligation to warn you, and to advise you to remember...not to over step your boundaries. Without me, there will be chaos. I suggest you not get too attached to people in this world; especially in times of war."

"What are you saying?" Harry asked.

" _ **Decisions**_! Be careful of which ones you make. And remember your place,  _Master_. You aren't a regular mortal. You are above them all. You need to be  _very_  careful in your choices," Death said, and he was in the form of that giant skeletal creature with the soulless black eyes that sent a shiver up Harry's spine.

He summoned all of his Gryffindor courage and said, "I'll help save anyone I can."

"You'd risk the one and endanger the millions?" Death asked in his female form, "Surely you understand you cannot save everyone."

"I can try," Harry replied with determination.

"Then you will fail," Death deadpanned.

"Why can't you see me?" Harry tried again.

Death's image returned to the man in the black suit and cane, "You know why."

Harry was about to protest when he suddenly felt weightless again, and surrounded by the darkness. Even though he felt awake in that darkness, he was feeling like someone was sedating him, making him losing consciousness. Before he knocked out completely, he heard Death's voice in a low whisper, "I take everyone eventually: every soldier in war, every civilian in their homes, that doctor that you saved today, the inventor friend of yours, and you, too,  _Master_. I will find you one day, and I will take you too."

* * *

.:~*~:.

When Harry opened his eyes once more, the first thing he heard was a clash of thunder. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up in bed.

"Awake again I see?"

Turning to his left, Harry saw Dr. Erskine sitting in a waiting chair with a book in his lap.

"How long have I been out?" Harry asked.

"Nearly ten hours. Mr. Stark tells me you would awake, and faint many times until you have the energy to stay fully awake. He said that...that last time it took nearly two days for you to regain consciousness?" Dr. Erskine asked.

Stretching his back, and popping some kinks in his neck Harry stated, "I pass out doc, I don't faint." Then he asked, "So he told you about me then?"

"Yes. Quite remarkable Mr. Potter," Dr. Erskine answered with an amused smile.

"I'm not sure what was different about last time, but I'm fully awake now," Harry said as he swung his feet over the bed.

"Mr. Potter, I must insist you remain in bed a while longer," Dr. Erskine said using his strongest doctor voice.

"Sorry doc, but I have something very important to do. But, I need your help," Harry said.

Dr. Erskine didn't look too pleased with Harry being out of bed, but asked anyway, "What is it you need to do?"

Harry slumped back onto the bed, and looked at his feet. Finally he whispered solemnly, "I have to make a decision doctor."

"What can be so grave after an ending such as this? Mr. Stark received word that the man who tried to take my serum was caught. He himself died, but at his own doing, and the serum did not fall into the wrong hands," Dr. Erskine said.

Harry didn't answer, but looked at Dr. Erskine with an unreadable look. The doctor got the message anyway.

"The serum was never supposed to be for everyone," Dr. Erskine said.

"I'm sure the army wouldn't like hearing that sir. Especially in these times," Harry replied.

Dr. Erskine shrugged, "Perhaps not. But it is not their choice. It is mine."

"And what did you choose?" Harry asked.

"I was only going to allow a group of very good men to receive the serum. What the army and these men decided to do wasn't in my hands, only who those men were; Steven being a prime example." Dr. Erskine replied.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Do you really think they'll let you make just a few and not demand more?"

"I would be just as persistent as them in my own plight. I know the dangers that this power can offer. If the smallest amount were to fall into the wrong hands..." Dr. Erskine left it hanging.

"I'm afraid, doctor, that the choice I make will involve you. The world isn't ready for this type of power, and I'm not sure it ever will be," Harry replied.

"What are you going to do?"

"You said it was only ten hours?" Harry asked and the doctor nodded, "I'm going to need the names of everyone who was in that room, and where they'll be. I'm sorry Dr. Erskine, but I'll have to adjust their memories. As far as everyone in that room will be concerned, it was you who died."

"Can you do that?" Dr. Erskine asked.

"Yes," Harry answered. While working as an Auror, he had plenty of cases that involved the  _obliviate_  spell being used on some muggles. Some cases had also involved him altering a magical person's memory for their own safety. He knew what to do, and how to do it.

"Then I will leave you to it," Dr. Erskine said as he, too, got up from his seat and stretched his muscles.

"Just like that," Harry asked a bit skeptically.

"Just like that Mr. Potter," Dr. Erskine said as he placed the book he was reading on the bedside table next to the bed.

"Normally people are a little bit more reluctant and give more of a fight when someone tells them they need to fake their own death," Harry said.

Dr. Erskine just smiled at Harry, "It won't be too much trouble. They already think me dead." At Harry's confused look Dr. Erskine continued, "When Mr. Stark received word of Steven capturing the perpetrator, he told everyone at the lab that I was 'injured' too. The army believes me to be hanging between life and death, and a while ago Mr. Stark's personal physician pronounced me dead."

"Why would he do that," Harry asked as he furrowed his brow in deep confusion.

"You are Mr. Stark's best friend. He knows how you think, and he himself is a genius. It did not take long for him to guess what you would do; especially when we learned what they had planned to do to. And, more importantly, what needs to be done," Dr. Erskine said.

"What exactly happened while I was unconscious," Harry asked.

"Steven returned with the news that he had caught the man who shot you, and that he killed himself instead of being brought in. The serum also being destroying in the process. When he returned, everything was still in chaos, and they were cleaning up your blood. Word spread quickly and, even more so, Mr. Stark's news on my status. Some have tried to come for confirmation, but Mr. Stark has kept them at bay," Dr. Erskine explained.

Harry nodded, "Okay, that does make things easier I suppose, but I still want to stop by and change their memories; maybe not everyone, but enough people with the same story- a few people seeing you being shot, too. Seeing me being taken away, but clouding my features. They'll remember someone else being there, but they won't be able to recall a face. Where  _is_  Howard?"

"He may not be magic, but Mr. Stark is a brilliant and rich man. He's making phone calls in his study," Dr. Erskine answered.

Harry nodded and headed for the exit. Dr. Erskine followed, and they found Howard where he had been for the last few hours. He was surrounded by paperwork and two telephones on his desk, his right arm wrapped around a cord.

Seeing the doctor and his best friend enter the room, Howard ended the phone call, hung up, and walked up to Harry.

"You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, right as rain," Harry answered.

"Last time it took more time," Howard pointed out.

"It's not always going to be like last time," Harry offered a small smile.

A smile that Howard didn't return, "There aren't going to  _be_  any more times. Look pal, I'm really glad you saved the doc here, but you can't do this anymore. What if you're like a genie or something? Three strikes and you're out."

"I think that's baseball," Harry answered easily enough. He was really touched by Howard's caring nature, but hated it whenever anyone, whether it was Howard or a Weasley, began to overreact about him too much.

"Harry, I'm serious," Howard said, and he was. It was one of the few moments anyone ever saw him be that serious with something that wasn't about the war or one of his experiments.

Harry sighed, "I know, I know. I'm sorry if I worried you, I just acted before I thought. Look, everything is okay now."

"You sure," Howard asked.

"Yes," Harry nodded.

"Alright, well are you tired or hungry or anything?" Howard asked as he walked back to his desk, and gestured to the seats in front of it for his friends.

Harry and Dr. Erskine took them, and then Harry shook his head before saying, "I need a favor though."

"Anything," Howard said.

"I need names and addresses for everyone who was there," Harry said.

"What for?" Howard asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I need to alter the memories of those people there. I heard you already started the rumor mill, but I want to implant some fake memories in some people too. It's just a precaution, but one I think necessary," Harry replied.

"You sure your magic can take it," Howard asked.

Harry hadn't really thought of that, but, as he took a moment to feel his magic, he was glad to note that everything seemed in order; even with the nagging feeling of Death surrounding him. He risked a glance at Dr. Erskine before looking back at Howard, schooling his features, and replying, "Yes."

"Alright, I'll have the driver bring the car up and we can head out," Howard said as he began to get up again.

"No need, I can just apparate to their locations," Harry said. During his stay in this world, he had been all over the city. He was very familiar with almost all of it, so he was sure he'd be able to apparate to a location near to his targets.

"Apparate?" Howard echoed.

"Teleport," Harry clarified.

"You can do that? You never mention that before," Howard said with a bit of a pout before that 'Stark' smile was back in place.

"You never asked, and I am not going to become your personal transporter," Harry said in a strict voice.

Howard visible deflated then shook his head, "You just woke up, and I don't want you wasting any unneeded energy. I'm driving you."

"It's not necessary," Harry insisted.

"I say it is," Howard countered.

"It's not," Harry said.

Dr. Erskine shook his head as he saw what was going to happen, so he cleared his throat and grabbed both of their attention.

"May I make a suggestion?" Seeing as neither brunet was going to interrupt, him he continued, "If Mr. Potter can really alter the memories of everyone there, why not have Mr. Stark summon everyone back to a common location? Claim to have notes on how to reproduce the serum, and having some sort of a demonstration. Once everyone is in the same room, do what is needed to be done."

Howard and Harry looked at each other before looking back at Dr. Erskine, "That's a brilliant plan, doc."

"Thank you Mr. Potter," Dr. Erskine replied.

"Alright, while I set all this up, you two go back to chit-chatting. Harry, you really should still be resting, though I'm sure there are loads to talk about," Howard said as he walked back to his desk and started making calls.

Harry took Dr. Erskine to Howard's balcony, and they stared out to the city in silence. As they observed the sky line of the lively, but peaceful, city, it was hard to picture all of the horrible events happening overseas.

"You asked me why I looked at those men with knowing pity," Harry said, breaking the silence.

"I did," Dr. Erskine replied.

"Now that you know more about me, are you still curious?" Harry asked.

"Yes, though I do not expect an answer Mr. Potter," Dr. Erskine said.

"Have you personally seen the horrors that Hitler has made? If you don't mind me asking that is," Harry said.

Dr. Erskine took a moment but then said, "More than what will last me a lifetime; I have been in his presence. He was the one to ask me before the Americans."

"Did you help him?"

"For a while yes. Then I saw my chance, and accepted the better offer. And now I will do it again," Dr. Erskine said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Life is about choices, is it not?" Harry nodded, "Well, I had a choice before; work with Hitler or the Americans. The answer was obvious to me then. And now I have another choice to make that is very obvious to me again: Remain in the lab where greedy, power hungry, alpha-personality politicians will try to abuse my serum, or fake my death and start over?"

"Everything you've worked for though...it's gone," Harry said.

"Not gone Mr. Potter, never gone. It still remains. My research and my ideals are still in this world, and I will rest better knowing that I will 'leave' after giving them some inspiration for science, than to continue, knowing what my good intentions have done to create chaos," Dr. Erskine said.

"'The path to hell is paved with good intentions'," Harry replied, and Dr. Erskine nodded. "What will you do now that you have this...freedom?"

"Mr. Stark has been very generous. He is allowing me residence in one of his properties anywhere I choose. He is preparing to have all of my savings be transferred to another account on a different name. A new alias for me," Dr. Erskine said with a small smile.

"Knowing Howard, you might just find an advance in your account. Forgive me for being skeptical though, but are you sure you understand what has happened these last few hours?" Harry asked.

"Not completely. There are mysteries around you, Mr. Potter, that I'm not sure even  _you_  know," Dr. Erskine said.

Harry shook his head, "I know I'm a very difficult to figure out, but that's not what I'm talking about. Everything you know, the way you live, all of it is gone. Just like that," Harry snapped his fingers for added effect.

Dr. Erskine's face grew grim as he replied, "It isn't the first time it has happened, Mr. Potter. This time though," he gave Harry a small grin, "my options are much better."

Harry nodded in understanding, and they returned to watching the skyline.

"Why bring up Hitler Mr. Potter," Dr. Erskine asked.

Harry shrugged, "I've faced a man that evil once; maybe even more."

"Hard to believe there is such a thing," Dr. Erskine said.

Harry gave a wary smile, "We all have different stories and our own personal devils. Those suffering at Hitler's hand right now may take offense to me saying this, but to me, there is no one more evil than this...I can't even call him a man. Because of him and his twisted ambitions, and seeing me as one of his main targets...he ruined my life. Made it hell. My own personal Hitler. He hunted down my parents, and made me an orphan. He killed my mother in front of me when I was fifteen months old. He tried to kill me then, too. That's how I got this scar."

"I do not know what to say," Dr. Erskine responded as he stared at Harry's lightning bolt scar.

"You don't have to say anything, it was just what happened. He was the Hitler of my people in many ways. He wanted the pure-blooded wizards and witches to be the ones who ruled the earth. Non-magical people were still the ones who ruled it, and, as far as they were concerned, we were nothing but myths and fairytales. He wanted to change all that. He wanted the muggles, the non-magic folk, and those who were muggle-born to be slaves to those who were purebloods. He wanted them as targets for sport, to be at his beck and call, and, in the end, he'd torture them to death once he didn't have use for them anymore. Behind closed doors or publicly, whatever he pleased. He had an army that called themselves Death Eaters, and they stroked fear so deep into the souls of the Wizarding World that people feared to speak his very name..."

"What happened?" Dr. Erskine asked, and neither really paid any mind as Howard silently joined them.

"There was this prophecy that endangered his plans for world domination. A child would be born that would rise to be his rival. He wanted to secure his victory by removing his rival before he had a chance to get any sort of power..." Harry took in a deep breath and continued, "The only flaw in his plan was that this cold-hearted psychopath never understood love and what it could do. When my mother refused to stand down, and died in what was a futile attempt to protect me, she cast this very ancient but powerful spell over me. Her love made it so evil couldn't bear to touch me," Harry has a small smile as he thought of his mother.

"For a few years, he was vanquished because the killing curse that he used bounced off me and hit him. The reason I am wary of your serum is because of this man and what he did. According to my old headmaster, he was brilliant, but the choices he made weren't. Voldemort, the psychopath's name, said something that stuck with me even after all these years. He told me that there was no good or evil, that there was only power and I suppose that's true to an extent. It's more of the choices made with that power that make it dangerous I guess."

They all fell into a contemplative silence once more before Howard announced, "Everything's ready. At five a.m., everyone will gather at the lab."

" _Everyone?_ " Harry asked.

"Yes, I was very specific in my request," Howard replied.

* * *

.:~*~:.

Howard watched as Harry placed the entire room into a form of trance, and then proceeded to go to each one individually to do something to their mind. Before coming to the lab, Harry and Howard had escorted Dr. Erskine to the airport. Howard had offered to let him borrow one of his own private jets, but Dr. Erskine declined.

Harry had given the doctor an extra precautionary assistance. In the small town in Florida that the doctor had chosen, there wouldn't be too much fuss, but Harry wanted to be extra careful just in case. It looked like a completely normal necklace to Howard, but when the doctor donned it on, it changed a lot of his personal features. His cheekbones got a bit higher, his ears became more rounded, and his eyes mimicked Harry's green color. They were small differences, but they would help the doctor blend in and avoid suspicion.

On Harry's request, Howard pulled some strings, and got the doctor some work at the local clinic. With all the military bases which had gone for his help, it was rather simple. It was a town so small that another doctor would be highly appreciated. Harry also helped the doctor come up with a convincing back story.

Having finished with his rounds, Harry walked back to him with a somber expression.

"Steve's not here."

"No. He was told to go to a lab because they wanted to recreate the serum using him. From what I've heard, he didn't like the idea of becoming a lab rat, and took the first job offer they gave him," Howard explained.

"So now the army doesn't even have the only successful super soldier ever made or a way of making another one?" Harry asked.

"Looks like it," Howard replied then motioned to the others in the room, "How long are they going to be stunned?"

"A few more minutes," Harry replied absentmindedly.

"What are you thinking?" Howard asked as he already knew the look in the wizard's face.

Harry turned from looking at the people in the room to his friend, "Before Dr. Erskine boarded the plane he asked me something."

"What?"

"To help," Harry said simply as he turned back to look at the people.

"Help with what?"

"He said that he understood me better now. He said he was proud to have met me, and asked to help this world like I helped mine," Harry said.

"This is different. That was personal to you. Here, you don't owe us anything," Howard said with a shrug.

Harry turned back to look at him, and his green eyes held all the seriousness he had, as well as all the pain and horror from his own war, "You were right Howard. You were more than right, but there was something you didn't tell me. This world won't just one day become mine...it already is. I  _already_  live here, and I think it's time I fight for it."

Howard's eyes widened as he realized what his friend's words meant. Harry was accepting his fate  _here_. Something inside of him flared and he got an odd feeling at the pit of his stomach at the fact that Harry, his Harry, was staying and wasn't going anywhere any time soon. He slowly nodded and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"You're going overseas to help right? I want to go with you. I want to help in any way I can. Steve may be gone, but maybe that's for the better. The Allies still need a bit of oomph to help get that edge in the war, but maybe what they really need is a little magic," Harry said.

"What exactly do you plan to do?" Howard asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Give our boys an advantage not even they know they'll have," Harry said with a smirk.


	5. The Base

Trouble Finds Him

Chapter 5: The Base

* * *

Harry looked at his duffel that lay on the bed. He recounted all the items in his head, and made sure he had everything, though his thoughts were elsewhere.

It always made him uneasy knowing there were loose ends in anything that involved him. In this world there was no Ministry of Magic to fear, but there also wasn't a Ministry to help him clean up any messes he makes. Even though it was a stupid option, it was still an option to let this world know that he was magic, or, at the very least, Howard's superiors. Harry knew that if they knew about him, they'd send him out to the front lines. He didn't want that; however, so he kept quiet about it. But it was in the back of his mind, plaguing him; taunting him with stupid and childish ideologies that if people knew about him, it'd make it easier.

Harry shook his head. No, if they knew, they'd lock him up in a lab like they'd wanted to do with Steve. They'd experiment until they found some type of answers, or tried to manipulate him like when he was a teenager. He had vowed to never let that happen again.

He wished he could have gotten to Steve before he left. He knew he also missed that guy who'd recruited him but Harry wasn't too worried about that. Howard reassured him that that man was not as observant as other people. All he knew was that he and Dr. Erskine had died, and didn't care about anything else that he couldn't sell.

Harry forgot about him easily enough, but couldn't do the same with Steve. As far as the kid knew, two of his friends were dead. They were dead, and the army was out of their secret weapon. He probably felt somewhat guilty, devastated, and alone. Knowing that Steve thought he was dead when he actually wasn't, and letting him continue with that knowledge made Harry feel incredibly guilty. Though he only met the kid for a few moments he saw a lot of himself in Steve, and didn't like the fact that he had let him down. Harry sighed and looked out of the window absentmindedly. He had a pretty good layout of New York, but nowhere else. He wasn't even sure where Steve went. Howard assumed that first he might go to D.C., but Harry wasn't sure, besides, he couldn't just apparate there and look for Steve. 

"All packed?"

Harry turned around and looked at Howard. That was another thing that was unsettinling him. Well, maybe not unsettling him, he wasn't uncomfortable but he wasn't sure what he was feeling. Ever since Harry's second act of cheating Death, Howard has been a bit clingier and Harry's finding himself not minding it. Nor does he mind the basically no personal space between the two that has developed. Harry had an inkling towards where this was going and knew that in these times it was punishable by law but there were two things to consider. One...danger loved him. And two, Howard Stark did whatever he wanted. Harry never started anything himself, but never stopped anything either. He was very confused but tried to push it aside as much as possible, "Yeah. You?"

"Haven't even started," Howard replied with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Don't we need to leave tomorrow morning?"

"The army leaves tomorrow morning. I can fly us over some time later," Howard said with a shrug and walked closer to Harry.

"I know you're a civilian, but weren't you ordered to go with them?" Harry asked.

"Eh, I'm not really good at following other people's orders. Besides I've been busy," Howard said while taking out a piece of paper.

Harry took it, and saw a bunch of sketches of what looked like a submarine. From the few years he got from muggle-school he  _did_ remember a bit about German U-boats. He couldn't remember much, but he knew they were important to the war, "And what's this exactly?"

"The guy who... _shot_ you... He jumped into it. It was his means of escape. This is not completely accurate, but these are some fast sketches I made of it," Howard replied with a frown as he glared at the sketches.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Speaking modestly, I'm the best mechanical engineer in this country. But I don't know what's inside that thing or how it works," Howard snatched the paper back and intensified his glare, "We're not even close to this technology."

"So, if not even your brilliant mind is capable of creating these sorts of things yet, who can?" Harry asked, taking a moment to realize that they were sharing the paper and they're shoulders were touching. It should bother him, shouldn't it? But it didn't. 

"...It's a cult. HYDRA," Howard answered quietly as he looked over to Harry before turing back to the sketches. 

"Like the mythical beast?" Harry questioned with a raised eye brow.

"HYDRA is the Nazi deep-science division. It's led by Johann Schmidt, and that man has very high ambitions. If they have this type of technology in their arsenal...I don't know," Howard muttered as he shook his head.

That was a first for the wizard. In all the time he's been in this world, he's never seen Howard so out of his comfort zone or unsure of himself. Well, he has, but that was usually when invading Harry's personal space but he pushed that thought aside. Harry placed a reassuring hand on Howard's shoulder, and offered a small smile, "Hey, none of that. You're brilliant, you're arrogant, and you're American. You'll find a way to beat this guy."

"You sound so sure," Howard said, and returned Harry's smile. Usually he only had himself to reassure his pessimistic thoughts; he could never allow anyone from his work to ever see him unsure. He's become the face of confidence, and he gives people hope that, with his mind and his money, they're a step closer to winning the war. Harry has been such a relief, and half the time he doesn't even know it. Harry's presence just being here really makes him feel that, for once in his life, he's not alone; that, even though he's not a soldier, he has a brother-in-arms to offer support to help him limp to the other side of the fire to safety. That's why he's been so clingy lately. That and every second Harry spent unconscious made him fear it wouldn't be like last time and Harry was actually dead. He saw other emotional developments inside of him but he chose to ignore those at the moment, or as much as he could. 

"We'll make it happen. Somehow," Harry promised. Then he turned back to look at his things.

"Right, we'll figure something out between the two of us. We'll be unstoppable," Howard said as he donned on his signature 'Stark' smile. "So...what  _are_ you bringing exactly?"

Harry turned to his best friend, and smiled disarmingly (something Harry will never admit he learned from the genius), "You'll have to wait and find out."

* * *

.:~*~:.

When they arrived to the base it took very little for people to allow Harry in without question. Howard claimed that Harry was his personal assistant, and that their research would go much better and faster with him there. Considering Harry would mostly be in the lab with Howard and the other scientist, there wasn't much fuss, but the General wasn't all too happy about having non-important civilians around.

For the first two weeks, Harry followed Howard around everywhere. Being so close to the fire made Harry tense and uneasy. He feared for his friend's safety, even though they were 'safely' lodging in a fully stocked military base. He assessed the threat-level and loyalty of every soldier that remotely had any sort of interaction with Howard. After the third week, when he forced himself to relax a bit and admit that there is no immediate danger to Howard, he started to explore the base some.

The only time he was in war, it had been personal for him. He was never around anything like this before. No safe camp where there were others on his side to take watch while he slept without fear of being killed in the middle of the night. He didn't have a medical tent to treat him or his friends with fully knowledgeable doctors doing their best. He didn't have meals every day or equipment handed to him when necessary.

If he ever got back he would have to buy Hermione something extravagant. Ron had been so right- he wouldn't have lasted two hours without her, let alone the whole year.

As different as it was from his own time of war, he saw the similarities too. The tiredness on the soldiers' faces, the tension of those who came back, and the horror of some in the medical tent who have suffered so much damage they were being sent home.

While everyone slept, Harry kept himself busy, and gave them that unknown advantage he told Howard about.

He cast disillusionment charms over the base, protection charms over each building, and he reinforced the cars used, as well as some of the clothing and equipment. To the goggles and glasses the men had to wear, Harry used that anti-fogging spell Hermione taught him when he had to play in bad weather. Harry made all of the uniforms more durable, and made it so some more heat would be locked inside when it reached a certain temperature. He would have made them waterproof too, but he knew they'd figure something was off about that.

The last place he visited was the medical tent. He knew that- in his time there- that was the place he'd visit the most. It was where he was the most useful at the moment as he replaced some of the medicine with some of his healing potions, giving them more potent and more powerful pain killers.

As the weeks passed, Harry found out he was right about visiting the medical tent the most. He didn't expect the war to be easy or glamorous as the movies make it seem, but it had been a while since he'd seen some of the carnage that he now sees. He hates that he can't just heal up a soldier completely, but he does what he can. In the dead of the night, he sneaks into the medical tent, and heals up the bigger wounds that, if left untreated by a proper hospital, the soldier would die or suffer permanent damage. Sometimes he also fixed cracked or broken ribs and sometimes other bones too. One time he even went as far as re-growing the leg of a man who had lost it in an explosion. He was barely alive when they brought him in, and they doubted he'd make it to morning. The healing itself was easy enough for him; it was erasing the memory of everyone who knew that was hard.

"You're taking huge risks," Howard said one night. They were having dinner in Howard's temporary study. Howard was looking at more blueprints and text books while Harry was going through his own journal.

"I don't think I am," Harry replied.

"You're doing a lot. More than science may ever be able to do. If someone ever catches on...you can get into big trouble," Howard said as he pushed his work aside, and looked seriously at the wizard.

"They won't, and, even if they do, it's nothing a little memory adjustment can't fix. The army needs an advantage. So here we are, right?" Harry asked as he read over his notes.

In his sixth year, when he had become obsessed with Snape's potion book, he had memorized everything he could. From the potions themselves, to the spells in the margins, and some of the effects some ingredients alone had. After what happened with Draco, he admitted that it frightened him a bit, and thought he didn't want anything to do with potions. It was some time later that he realized that it was just knowledge, and it could one day save him. His problem before was that his judgment was being clouded by the events that were happening. As he trained to be an Auror, he memorized as many spells, potions, charms, and all-around information that could one day mean the difference between life and death.

When he reached this world, and realized that any actual information on magic was nothing but plausible myth, he bought a brown leather journal and wrote down everything he could remember. After he filled out more of it with the stuff he already knew, he started testing his own ideas and seeing the differences and adding more information- similar to what Snape had done to his own textbook. It was what he did during those 'breaks' he took from looking for a way back. There were also some of his own personal entries- letters that he would have sent to his friends if he could.

"Just do me a favor, pal," Howard started, "No- make me a promise."

"And what would that be?" Harry asked as he closed his journal while whispering 'mischief managed'. He wasn't worried about anyone peeking into it because the notebook also had a disillusionment charm that was similar to the cloaking device the Marauder's Map had. He even used the same code words out of sentimental reasons.

"Whatever the hell happens, no matter the danger, or the situation...always get out alive. I don't care how; magic or wit or whatever, just make it out alive. I don't have that many people that mean much to me, nor do I know anyone who's ever been able to hold my interest for more than a few days. You're my best friend, and you're seriously interesting. So... _always_ come back." Howard said as he looked away. He was horrible when it came to mushy sentimental things, but sometimes he needed to let Harry know stuff like this; especially when the wizard was being risky and stupid while thinking that, if something happened, there was no one here to care since it's not 'his' world.

"Someone has to make sure you remember to eat and sleep, and apparently it's become my job," was Harry's reply.

They shared a look before they both silently returned to their respective notes; food ignored.

* * *

.:~*~:.

After Harry placed enough protection wards around the base, he really had nothing much to do during the day. At night he would risk going to the medical tent to help, but other than that he didn't have much to do; during which time Howard would take Harry's time, and try to explain some of the ways their technology worked.

He'd done so before as his attempts to get Harry away from his obsessive researching. He'd bring the wizard to his lab, and have him help with his projects. He wasn't just complimenting the wizard on tolerating him and his habits when he told Harry he was smarter than the average person. Sure, he wasn't a genius like Howard, but Harry's mind was quick. He saw things click easily enough, as if it were a puzzle. And even if he didn't understand any of it, Howard preferred Harry to anyone else he was forced to work with.

When it came to the science-chemical stuff, it took him a while but, when it came to the mechanics, not so much. He loved tinkering with things that were similar to engines. When the war against Voldemort was over, Hagrid had given him Sirius's motorcycle, and he learned everything he could to keep it maintained. After working on a magical flying motorcycle, Harry then evolved to cars.

To keep the wizard from being bored until his nightly rounds, Howard and him would work on the submarine and try to reverse engineer it.

Unfortunately, Howard had more than just the submarine to work on. It was on one of those afternoons that Howard was busy with some science that completely flew over Harry's head that the wizard ventured around the base and just idly walked around.

About an hour of wondering around aimlessly his stomach growled, so Harry decided to go to the mess hall. With the war plans against Schmidt, it wasn't overbearingly full; only those who were free from training, weren't injured, or were waiting for their next orders could be found inside.

Assessing all of the soldiers there Harry got line in line and got his tray. As he walked to his table, he met the soldier he fought at the sign-up center in Howard's fair.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Your Majesty. Come for a second round?"

Harry stared at him coolly- the soldier had been loud enough to obtain a lot of attention from the others. There were soldiers of all ranks and, if Harry remembered correctly, they should be the mix of from the 105th squadron to the 107th.

"Considering what happened last time, it's not so much as round two, but a rematch," Harry replied idly as he tried to sidestep the man in front of him.

The soldier matched his step though, and was joined by two others. The soldier smirked, and slapped Harry's tray out of his hands. Harry looked annoyed, and sighed as he wiped off some of the food that fell on him. Then he raised his eye brow and asked, "Seriously, what the hell is your problem?"

"I've got a problem with you," was the soldier's reply.

"Doesn't take a genius to see that; what the bloody hell did I do to you?" Harry asked. He stood his full height, though he wasn't as tall as some of these other men. His upbringing restricted his height, so he stood at about 5'5. These other men were the best soldiers the army could ask for, and had the bodies of pro-wrestlers; Harry was more of the runner/swimmer body type. He still had power though, and he wasn't afraid of them; he was going to make sure they knew it, too.

"You interfere in matters that don't concern you," the soldier said as he took a step closer but Harry didn't back down.

He raised an eye brow and said, "I can understand me doing so back at the Expo, but what did I do here?"

"You're not American, you don't belong here. Waste of space and resources keeping you here," the man hissed.

"Move," Harry ordered with a glare. As entertaining as this was, he was bored with it.

The man pushed Harry on the chest. "Make me."

Harry took a step and ordered once more, "Move."

The man was about to push Harry again when Harry caught the man's arm, pulled, brought him forward, and, taking advantage of the man's unbalanced position, Harry kicked him as hard as he could, and the man fell to the ground. The other two were stunned a bit, clearly not expecting that. Then they acted. One lunged at Harry, but the wizard sidestepped and elbowed the man in the back of the neck. The third one had picked up Harry's fallen tray, and was running at him with it. Harry muttered 'confundo', and the man tripped over himself and was falling toward Harry. Since the third man wasn't as big as the others, Harry had little difficulty in grabbing the man's arm and flipping him over.

As Harry looked at his results he cringed after a minute as he realized how quiet it had gotten. He turned around, and saw that everyone was staring at him. Cursing under his breath, Harry quickly made it towards the door. He found the closest building, and rested against it. He sighed deeply at the realization that he'll have to let people keep this memory. He didn't want to keep adjusting the memories of these people in fear that, one day he'll mess up, and they'll somehow end up like Lockhart. He reasoned with himself that it had nothing to do with magic, but his own training he'd completed over the years. That it was okay for them to remember, and not a danger to him. Somehow he knew it was going to come back and bite him in the arse. At the very least, he'll be severely lectured by Howard later on.

"That was one hell of a show."

Harry looked up, and saw someone else from that day at the Expo. It was Steve's friend whom he'd talked to before trying to sign up. He was in his uniform, and holding two trays. Harry was already thinking of excuses to get him out of what was sure to come.

"It just happens sometimes...more times than I care for it to." Harry whispered the last part to himself.

Steve's friend offered him a tray and a smile, "Here."

"You didn't need to," Harry said as he hesitantly accepted the tray.

"Ya kidding me? Not only do you  _deserve_ some sort of prize, you look like you  _really_ need as much food as you can get," the soldier said.

"I may not look like much, but, as you saw, I can handle myself just fine," Harry defended himself.

"Whoa, I didn't mean to offend. You know...you remind me of a friend of mine  _very_ much. From the shortness to the defensiveness," the soldier said with a smirk.

"Well, we can't all be bigfoot now can we?" Harry said sarcastically.

"You're different; I like that. The name's Sergeant James Barnes, my friends call me Bucky," Bucky balanced his tray on one hand, and extended his right hand towards Harry.

Harry mimicked Bucky and replied, "Harry Potter; I'm just plain, old Harry."

"Well, plain, old Harry, mind if I join you for lunch?" Bucky asked.

"And why would an American soldier want to be seen with a British civilian?" Harry asked.

They began walking until they found a makeshift table to sit at, "How gullible do you think I am? There is no way you're just a civilian. Not with those reflexes."

"Just luck mostly," Harry said with a shrug.

"We may just be in need of some luck," Bucky said as he ate his food.

"What are you trying to say?" Harry asked.

"Talk to the right person, you can be a really big hero out here," Bucky said as he gestured towards the outer part of the base.

"I'm perfectly fine where I am, thanks," Harry replied, and poked at his food.

Bucky was about to try again when there was a commotion near them. Their food forgotten, Harry and Bucky run to the source only to see a man being picked up and taken to the medical tent.

"What happened?" Bucky asked one of the soldiers standing around.

"He ate something, and I think it was poisoned. He started foaming at the mouth like a dog with rabies," the soldier replied.

Harry looked at the man that was being carried away, and did a mental inventory. He had only given them more potent pain killers and quicker healing ointments; there was nothing there that could cure poison. Since getting the information from the German assassin that tried to kill Dr. Erskine, Harry prepared for everything. It was a bit more difficult to obtain, but he did have some bezoars in his duffel.

Harry ignored Bucky's call and ran as fast as he could to his temporary lodging, and frantically searched for the bezoar. When he found it, he rushed to the medical tent, and forced his way inside. Like the other soldier had said, the man was foaming at mouth. He was also sweating, and his skin was turning a difference shade. Harry wasn't sure if it was due with trouble breathing, or the poison itself. Not caring at all about anything, but the dying man, Harry pushed his way to him, hero-complex putting him in overdrive, and shoved the bezoar down the man's throat. He prayed to any deity out there listening that, whatever poisoned this man, was under the category of the poisons the bezoar could cure.

It was silent as the man became completely immobile, and then someone hissed at Harry, "What the  _hell_ did you do?"

Harry didn't reply, but just watched the man. Then he closed his eyes and sighed with relief when the man took a big gulp of air, the color returned to his face, and he seemed to be getting up.

"That's amazing! What did you do?" Bucky asked as he made his way to Harry.

The wizard looked from Bucky, to the man on the bed gasping for breath, to the people standing around. Feeling like a trapped animal and overwhelmed, he did the only thing his mind could process: Run!

* * *

.:~*~:.

It had been a few days since Bucky had seen a trace of Mr. Potter; nothing since he saved that soldier from being poisoned. Many of the medics and some of the higher-ups have been trying to get answers, but it seemed Mr. Stark was keeping them at bay and hiding Mr. Potter away.

Bucky was thinking about this as he made his way to Colonel Phillips, where he would be getting the next orders for himself and his men tonight.

When he arrived, Colonel Phillips was there with some other higher-ups, standing over a map, making battle plans and strategies.

"Sergeant Barnes, I want you and your men to be ready. You head out in a few days," Phillips ordered.

Bucky nodded and asked, "What are the details, sir?"

"We have Intel that Schmidt is sending out forces to Azzano. We need to intercept them any which way we can. You and your men will prep, and leave when you're ready."

"Sir, yes sir," Bucky replied.

"Dismissed,"

"Um...sir? May I make a request?"

"What kind of request?" Phillips asked.

"Bring along Mr. Potter," Bucky said with confidence.

"Who?" Phillips questioned.

"The man who saved the poisoned soldier a few days ago, sir," one of the others replied.

"And why, Sergeant Barnes, would you request him?" Phillips asked

"He's a smart fighter, has fast reflexes, and he seems to be knowledgeable in medicine sir," Bucky replied.

"Your squadron has plenty of army doctors. All fully qualified," Phillips replied.

"Be that as it may sir, Mr. Potter is different. He thought, and saved a man when no one else could; a man who would have died otherwise. I believe that, with him in the front lines, more men will be able to come back," Bucky replied.

"...I'll think about it. Dismissed soldier," Phillips ordered and Bucky nodded and left.

"Who  _is_ this Potter exactly?" Phillips asked.

"No one really knows, sir. He showed up with Stark, and that's where he's been hiding since the incident sir." Someone said.

"Someone go and bring him," Phillips ordered.

"We've been trying since the incident to have a word with him; all of us, other soldiers, and the medics. Stark doesn't let anyone through. When we try to put superiority over him, he just threatened to pack up, leave, and stop funding everything sir."

"Well then, Ms. Carter!" Phillips barked.

"Sir," Peggy stood up straight and saluted him.

"It looks like you being here, when you're not supposed to, is a blessing-in-disguise after all. Go talk with them. From the small information we've got, this Potter is also British. He might open up more to you. Get answers; get them over here,  _something_ , and soon." Phillips ordered.

"Yes sir," Peggy nodded and headed out.


	6. The Plan

Trouble Finds Him

Chapter Six: The Plan

* * *

Howard really loved his mind. Not just because it allowed him to create a lot of amazing things, see the world, and impresses people into his bed, but also because it let him multitask.

He had no actual idea of what happened but he had the basics. Harry had impressed a lot of people and now the lime light was on him. It really irked the genius far more than he understood...or rather, much more than he was willing to admit. A childish part of him wanted to stamp ' _Stark Property'_ on Harry's forehead just so people knew who he belonged to...Not that Harry belonged to him... _yet_. The wizard came running towards their lodging and slammed the doors shut behind him. Secretly, Howard was pleased about hiding Harry away for himself. Though the tension placed wasn't one he wanted, at least if gave him more hours with the wizard while at Base. 

It took Howard four hours to convince Harry to just let him in. It took another six to get the wizard to utter a single word to him. Another two hours later, in which Howard had done some investigating and then pieced most of it together was when Harry finally started talking. It wasn't much but it was enough for Howard to know that he needed to protect his friend like Harry's always protected him.

So while helping in the war rooms planning out strategies, in the labs working on the U-Boats, and other projects, he was also keeping people away from Harry.

There were regular foot soldiers, sergeants, medical doctors, captains. They all came in search of Harry, but Howard made it  _very_  clear that it wasn't possible. That he was going to make it impossible. Howard even suggested to Harry to apparate home, but the wizard instantly snapped his head up and said no.

"There is  _no_   _way_  I'm going back to the States while you're here!" Harry said determinedly.

With a sigh, Howard told Harry he was going back to work and to magically lock the doors. No one but Howard was allowed in and that was perfect for both of them.

It was both surprising and not at the same time when later at night Agent Peggy Carter came knocking on his door.

Though Harry at times chides him for seeming careless, the genius wasn't. It was that when he was in Harry's presence he was confident the wizard would always keep him safe. He trusted Harry's instincts with everything he had, so he didn't bother looking into people. That didn't mean he didn't know how.

He knew why Ms. Peggy was there and he mentally frowned. On the outside though, he smirked and played the playboy idiot that everyone but Harry believed he was. "Well, well, Ms. Carter. Did anyone see you come this way? Best be careful...people will talk."

"A pleasure as always Mr. Stark." Peggy replied. Her face was determined and fierce. Howard mentally frowned deeper because he somehow knew it wasn't going to be as easy to get rid of Peggy as it was other people.

"As much pleasure as I'm sure it might be...I'm busy." Howard said.

"Then it's good I'm not here to talk with you then." Peggy answered.

"Well then, I suppose it's good you really  _aren't_  here then," Howard said with an edge to his voice. "I know of everyone who is supposed to be here and you aren't on that list." he added in a bit of a snarky tone about the same words she had given Harry when she saw him in the lab in New York. They thought he hadn't head, but he did. He was involved in everything involving Harry. 

"Things change." Peggy said with a bit of a smile.

"Things are funny like that." Howard agreed.

"Where's Mr. Potter, Mr. Stark?" Peggy asked right out. Howard expected a bit more tact, but remained cool.

"Now why would you want him?" Howard asked as he positioned himself so he was blocking the whole entrance.

"Don't play games Mr. Stark. You know damn well why. We need to speak with him." Peggy said.

" _We_  being the guys upstairs? Look doll, I get that _my_ best friend is something worth looking at. I've been a  _huge_  influence on him, but at the moment there are more important things. Like defeating Hitler. So please...tell  _your_  superiors to focus on that." Howard said and added in a glare.

"There is something in Potter that can help the process speed up. And as much as your loyalty to him is commendable, what about your loyalty to your country?" Peggy asked.

"Harry is different. I don't expect you to understand but I would let the world burn if it meant his safety and sanity. So I will only ask nicely this last time, go away." Howard ordered.

"Shouldn't he have a say in it?" Peggy tried.

"Yes, but I know he doesn't want anything to do with war on that end. He's helping on this end and it's more than enough." Howard replied.

"Howard."

Both him and Peggy turned to see Harry standing behind Howard.

"It's late Harry. Get some shut eye. I've got it handled." Howard said.

"Let her in Howard. We might as well know exactly what they know." Harry said.

This time, Howard  _did_ frown, but allowed Peggy inside. They sat at one of the extra tables Howard had brought in for his work. Peggy and Harry took a seat on the same side of the rectangular table and faced each other. Howard sat across from them, in front of Harry, leaned back with his arms crossed and glared at Peggy.

"Alright, what do they know?" Howard asked.

"Mr. Potter, despite being labeled civilian, has military training of some sort. It's an odd style, but very efficient. Not only that, but he seemed to be knowledgeable in the medical arts. Knowing things that saved a soldier when he seemed lost. All very curious things, Mr. Potter. We just want answers." Peggy said as she ignored Howard and his intense stare and looked imploringly at Harry.

Harry, like Howard, sat back with his arms crossed, but examined Peggy rather than glared at her. Harry looked at her posture and her features. Lastly he looked into her eyes for a long minute before he sighed, "You know I'm not going to give you the answers you crave. So why not ask me what you're  _really_  here to ask me."

"Colonel Philips wishes to speak with you-" Peggy started.

"No," Howard said.

"We're sending an attack to intercept Schmidt's forces in Azzano. One of our men believes you're worthy to bring along. Most likely, they'll make you a part of his squadron. As their army doctor." Peggy explained.

"No!" Howard cried as he stood up and slammed his hands on the table, "I already said that he doesn't-"

"You're making an interception in Azzano? How many men?" Harry interrupted.

"Two hundred." Peggy replied.

Harry stood and examined some of the maps Howard had around the room.

"What is it?" Peggy asked.

Harry squinted towards the map and looked at all possibilities. Howard noticed this, and by the frown on Harry's face, he knew it wasn't good. He also knew the new face his friend was donning on and decided it was time he set his foot down.

" _No_  Harry!" Howard said sternly, "You are not necessarily authorized to be  _here_ , let alone out there! You  _aren't_  American and you're  _not_  a soldier. You don't have a clue as to how things are done here," Howard said it in hopes that the wizard would get the double meaning.

"How many doctors are going?" Harry continued to ignore Howard.

"Given the situation and who we're up against, three." Peggy replied.

"It's most likely not going to be enough," Harry muttered to himself, "If I agree to accompany these men, I don't want any hassle from anyone as to my knowledge. I want that made _very_  clear."

"There won't be any hassle because you're  _not_  going!" Howard nearly yelled.

"Yes, I am. As long as my conditions are met." Harry said the last bit to Peggy.

"I'll talk with Colonel Philips right away. He'll most likely wish to speak with you." Peggy said as she stood up.

"Howard and I will be there in an hour. If he has the time." Harry said and shook the hand Peggy offered.

"Oh, so now it's Howard and I again, huh?" Howard muttered as Harry escorted Peggy to the door.

When Harry walked back he was greeted with the sight of Howard pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. After five minutes of just doing that, Howard finally turned to Harry and demanded, "What the hell!"

"They're going to need me." Harry replied.

"Do you have any idea what you just agreed to?" Howard demanded.

"Yes." Harry replied.

"No, I don't think you do! You've just agreed to go with those soldiers to the front lines. No, Harry. Just no." Howard said.

"I'm not stranger to war. I was a soldier in my own right. You know that. Besides, they're going to need me Howard." Harry repeated.

"Yes, you've said that already.  _Why_? What can you do out there that you can't do from here?" Howard demanded as dozens of possibilities passed through his mind of what could happen to Harry out there. None of them he liked.

"Look at the map Howard. Look at all the points of entry the Americans will have and the most likely location of where Schmidt will be." Harry answered.

Howard sighed but did as his friend said. For the first few minutes all he saw was the map itself. Just a bunch of names, numbers, colorful lines, territories, and a few rivers.

"Concentrate Howard." Harry said as he saw his friends confusion.

Howard sighed and then took a deep breath. When he did his eyes widened, "No. Even more  _no_! I'm not letting you go knowing this!"

"There are two hundred men going. I can be of serious help. You know what's going to happen. If I stay here, less than ten percent are likely to come back. If I go, the chances increase." Harry said in a calm matter.

"Oh yeah? And what about  _you_? What if you get shot or blown up? What if you die and they bury you but then you come back? Hm? What if someone finds you and figures it out and they send you to the Nazi science labs to be probed and dissected?"

"I'm not going to let that happen." Harry replied.

"But you never  _know_  Harry!" Howard stressed.

Harry sighed, "Look...it's hard to explain, but I need to do this."

" _Why_? Help me understand Harry, because I have no freaking clue why!" Howard cried.

"It's been like this all my life. I knew there was always something I needed to do. Something only I could do. I tried my best to avoid it but eventually it happens anyway, I just have to accept that fact. You're a scientific person, I don't know how much you believe that things happen for a reason. I was sent from my world that was in a reign of peace, a peace that  _I_  made possible, to this one that needs help. I have to believe that I was sent to be that help. It may not be true, but...I'm just human, it's how I think." Harry said gently.

"...You're going regardless of what I say, aren't you?" Howard sighed in defeat.

"Sorry Howard. But something you might need to know about me, when I put my mind to something, there is almost nothing that will stop me." Harry said with a small smirk.

 _Not even knowing you're leaving me?_ Howard wanted to asked but he didn't and shoved that thought to the farthest part in the back of his mind.

"Fine.  _B_ _ut_! I will manage the deal with Colonel Philips." Howard claimed and Harry rolled his eyes but nodded nonetheless. "Oh, and one more thing pal."

"What?"

"Remember what you promised me. Whatever the hell happens, no matter the danger, or the situation...always get out alive." Howard said seriously as he locked eyes with Harry.

Harry met Howard's stare with just as an intense stare and smiled, "Always."

* * *

.:~*~:.

The day was gloomy as the sky was covered with clouds of gray and the rain seemed very lasting. No matter where anyone went, there seemed to be a cloud of depression everywhere. Even the visitation of "Captain America" wasn't enough to lift the soldier's spirits.

Peggy watched from afar as Steve's performance failed and saw him being booed off stage. She found him some time later behind some of the prep trucks, drawing in a notebook. He seemed to be drawing himself as a circus monkey.

"Hello Steve." Peggy greeted quietly.

Steve looked up, surprised and replied, "Hi."

"Hi." Peggy said again as she took a seat next to the blonde.

"What are you doing here?" Steve sounded relieved to see a familiar face.

"Officially I'm not here at all," Peggy said solemnly. But then changed topics, "that was quite the performance."

"Yeah...I had to improvise a little bit," Steve said embarrassed and uncomfortable, "the crowds I'm used to are usually more...twelve."

"I understand you're 'America's New Hope'?" Peggy said, a bit accusingly in her voice.

Steve wasn't looking at her when he sighed then replied, "Bonds sales take a 10% bump in every state I visit."

"Is that Senator Brandt I hear?" Peggy asked.

Steve licked his lips before he replied, "At least he has me doing this. Philips would have had me stuck in a lab."

"And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey? You were meant for more than this, you know?" Peggy said a tad more gently.

Steve seemed to want to say something but appeared to have trouble finding the words. Peggy coaxed him, "What?"

"You know, for the longest time, I dreamed about...coming overseas and being on the front lines, and serving my country. I finally got everything I wanted...and I'm wearing tights."

There was a horn blazing and Peggy and Steve look in its direction to see a medical truck roaring through and soldiers helping carry out stretchers filled with injured men. Peggy stood up and tried to see the men that were being brought in. She saw Howard Stark run towards the truck and watched him intently. When he slammed his hand against the truck, looking completely devastated, she let out a shaky breath. Guilt ate up at her but she forced it down, though it wouldn't go away completely.

"They look like they've been through hell." Steve commented and brought Peggy out of her thoughts.

"These men more than most." Peggy said as guilt flared up inside of her again. "Schmidt sent out forces to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him, and less than fifty returned." Peggy cast another solemn look at the medical tent. She could still see Howard Stark looking towards the gates of the base, looking almost imploringly for another truck to come soaring through. "You're audience contained what was left of the 107th...the rest were killed or captured."

Steve immediately snapped his attention up to Peggy. "The 107th ?"

Confused, Peggy asked, "What?"

"Come on!" Steve urged as they ran towards Colonel Phillips' tent where he was writing letters of the deceased to their respective families.

"Colonel Phillips." Steve greeted.

"Well, if it isn't the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan. What is your plan today?" Colonel Phillips said, though his voice clearly conveyed he wasn't in the mood for foolishness.

"I need the causality list from Azzano." Steve ordered.

"You don't get to give me orders, son." Col. Phillips said.

"I just need a name. Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th ." Steve said.

Col. Phillips pointed his pen at Peggy and said, "You and I are going to have a conversation later that you won't enjoy."

Steve interrupted, "Please tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R..."

"I can spell." Col. Phillips retorted. They had a bit of a stare down before Col. Phillips got up and started looking through the stack of papers in his hands. "I've signed more of these condolences letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry."

Steve took a moment to digest the information before he snapped his head back in to attention, "What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?"

"Yes, it's called "winning the war."" Col. Phillips replied.

"But, if you know where they are, why not at least..." Steve started but was cut off.

"They're 30 miles behind enemy lines, through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't except you to understand that because you're a chorus girl." Col. Phillips said.

Steve grit his teeth and said, "I think I understand just fine."

"Well, then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you got someplace to be in 30 minutes." Col. Philips said and walked away.

Steve looked determinedly at the map in front of him and replied, "Yes, sir. I do."

Peggy looked at Steve and then back to the map. She knew what he was planning, of course she did. Steve was an open book in plain English. It was insane, it was mad, and completely bonkers! But maybe that's exactly what they needed right now. The idea formed in her mind before reason and logic had time to throw it out the window.

"If you have something to say, right now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself," Col. Phillips called out but Steve had already left and Peggy ran after him.

She found him in his prep tent, "What do you plan to do, walk to Austria?"

"If that's what it takes," Steve said as he quickly packed his things.

"You heard the Colonel. Your friend is most likely dead." She needed to make sure she didn't unintentionally send another foolishly naïve soldier into the heart of the inferno like she did with Potter. Though he's an adult and was perfectly capable of making his own choices, he was persuaded by her. She felt responsible, but wanted to make things right. Something in her, something very childish and irrational told her that Potter was alive. Maybe it was his own attitude, maybe it was Howard Stark's faith in him, or maybe it was something else completely that she didn't understand, but she just  _knew_  he was still alive somewhere. She believed that if anyone could save the other Brit, it was Steve, but she needed to be sure.

"You don't know that." Steve said stubbornly.

"Even so, he's devising a strategy. If he detects..."

"By the time he's done that, it could be too late!" Steve stressed as he put on his jacket.

"Steve!" Peggy called out as she ran after him.

Steve threw his duffel and shield into a military jeep as Peggy caught up with him. They looked at each other before he spoke, "You told me you thought I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?"

She was convinced by the look of determination in his eyes. She nodded, "Every word."

Steve nodded too, "Then you got to let me go."

As Steve jumped behind the wheel, Peggy caught his arm and said, "I can do more than that."

* * *

.:~*~:.

"You can understand why I feel very inclined to kick you out of here, right?" Howard asked as he purposely tried to avoid Peggy. Though he let all of the anger show in his voice.

"I understand you're angry with me for being the one to convince Mr. Potter to go on this mission. I feel very guilty." Peggy replied.

"You _should_! He was perfectly okay with helping the soldiers _here_. Then _you_ come in and he signs up for a death mission!" Howard snapped. It was more than anger swirling around in his belly. It took him some time to admit but it eas jealousy as well. Carter was British. Though Harry was from another time, hell, a different world, they shared a nationality. They could speak about weather and literature and The Queen. Carter was also a catch and he very a very raw emotion every time Harry studied her...and it only intensified whenever he caught them staring so intently at one another. No he couldn't say he liked Agent Carter before, and even less now. 

"I have a plan. It's mad and it'll need a lot of faith. " Peggy said instead of any other argument. Many have tried to reason with Stark these last few days, but since news of what happened to the men of 107th, he's been the most avoidable person on the base. More so than Phillips.

"Yeah? What?" Howard demanded harshly.

"Steve is here," Peggy said.

"That so? That's right...I did hear about that. So what? He's come to sing and dance and that's supposed to bring Harry back? I doubt magic works like that Carter."

"His friend was with Mr. Potter on that mission. In fact, I believe it's the same soldier that requested Potter. Steve doesn't want to believe his friend is dead and is willing to walk to Austria if need be to rescue him," Peggy explained calmly.

Howard had been fiddling with some machinery in an attempt to zone Peggy out but he couldn't help but listen to her speak.

"So...what's this plan of yours?" Howard asked.

"It's completely mad but if there's any one who can pull it off it'll be you and Steve."

"Okay, what's the plan?"

"You'll be needing your aviator jacket."

* * *

.:~*~:.

"The Hydra Camp is in  _Krausberg_ , tucked between these two mountain ranges." Peggy pointed to the map as Steve got ready on Stark's plane. "It's a factory of some kind."

"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep." Howard called out.

"Just get me as close as you can." Steve called out to Howard and then said to the both of them, "You two are going to be in a lot of trouble when you land."

"And you won't?" Peggy countered.

"Where I'm going, if anyone yells at me, I can just shoot them." Steve said.

"They will undoubtedly shoot back." Peggy said.

"Well, lets hope it's good for something." Steve said as he tapped on his shield.

"Agent Carter?" Howard called out. "If we're not in too much of a hurry, I though we could stop by Lucerne for a late night fondue." Howard asked with a strained smirk. A half dead brained monkey could pick up the sexual frustration between the two and Howard was still a bit crossed with Peggy and enjoyed making them as uncomfortable as possible.

Peggy looked nervously between Howard and Steve. Steve giving her a questioning stare. She silently cleared her throat and said, "Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen. He's mad enough to brave this airspace. We're lucky to have him."

Steve just nodded but couldn't keep his mouth shut and pointed between Howard and Peggy, "So, are you two...do you...fondue?"

Peggy looked very uncomfortable and decided to ignore it and took out a device and handed it to Steve, "This is your transponder. Activate it when you're ready and the signal will lead us right to you."

"Are you sure this thing works?" Steve called out to Howard.

"It's been tested more than you, pal." Howard replied a bit snarkly.

Suddenly they were being shot at from bellow. Howard did his best to maneuver them but they were still being hit pretty hard. The plane also being one of the few things Harry hadn't magically protected because of fear it might affect the technology the plane had. Steve stood up and headed for the door.

"Get back here! We're taking you all of the way in!" Peggy cried.

"As soon as I'm clear, you turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!" Steve yelled.

"You can't give me orders!" Peggy yelled back.

"The hell I can't! I'm a Captain!" Steve exclaimed before putting on his goggles and jumping off. When his parachute opened, Howard turned the plane around and headed towards safety.

Peggy walked up to the cockpit and sat next to Howard. The genius asked,"Do you really think this will work?"

"Dr. Erskine believed in Steve when he chose him for the serum. Potter has something I just can't describe. I don't know why, but I know he's alright, Mr. Stark. If anyone can find him and bring him back to you, I'm sure that's Steve."

Howard nodded and forced a cheekily smile, "You best get ready Agent Carter. We may not have time for a late night fondue, but we are going to get the lecture of our lives."


	7. The Rescue

Trouble Finds Him

Chapter Seven: The Rescue 

* * *

 

Harry knew from the moment they left the base that that was perhaps the last time he would see Howard. Though he ached a bit at that thought, he couldn't fight the feeling in his gut that this was something he needed to do. After so many years of torment and danger and only surviving because of his gut instincts and Hermione's intelligence, he had to trust in his gut since he no longer had the ladder. But still, the pain and emotion he saw in Howard's eyes the last time he saw him before he left probably mirrored his own but there wasn't time to think about that. 

Being a wizard was one hell of a thing. You often had odd feelings when something big was going to happen. A wizard's magic is tapped into the Earth itself. It's part of the Nature/Order/Chaos that is Life. The primal form of magic, if you will. Of course only the most powerful of wizards can hold such magic because it's so raw so it's an extraordinary thing when one _is_ able to tap into that magic. What happens is that one's magic taps into the essence of not just Earth but the Universe. A connection is made through magic to space and time. That is how ' _Seers_ ' can see into the future or past. How ' _Healers_ ' with more than natural abilities tap into this raw miraculous power.

Being Harry Freaking Potter he's had plenty of these moments. His magic, in trying to protect or prepare him, gave him glimpses. Some he had no idea what they meant. Others even less so. Very few made sense to help him prepare for what he was willingly walking into.

Bucky turned to him in their vehicle, “Nervous?”

Suddenly he was in his first Quidditch game, about to play for the first time, talking to Wood.

“A bit.” He replied.

“Don't worry...I'll get you back to Stark. God knows how many will bring me back just to kill me again if I don't.” Bucky said with a chuckle which Harry tried to match, but they both heard they were strained.

Guilt settled in Harry's stomach. For who? He wasn't really sure. His own war was centered around him so as long as he lived, so did hope. This war was so much different and Harry's promise to Howard to get out of there if it got too much was something he'd have to keep. There was guilt in having to go against his Gryffindor Lion Heart and leave those brave men who most likely had family and friends waiting at home for a soldier who wouldn't be coming home. There was guilt towards Howard because in the last moment, Harry might back down from his promise and stay, even if it means his death and whatever may come afterward...

“I may not look like much, but I don't intend to die, Buck,” Harry said. During their long conversations Harry had finally given into Bucky's request of calling him by the nickname. When asked about it the soldier said that he reminded him of his best friend.

“You really do remind me of Steve, ya know that?” Bucky asked with a fond smile.

“Steve must be an incredibly amazing, handsome, strong, intelligent guy then,” Harry replied and offered a smile back.

This was their calm before the storm. The silence before the battle. The tension and nervousness in his stomach at the moment were enough to make the most confident person want to puke.

“Cheeky lil bastard,” Buckly replied. “Steve's a good guy and all, but he ain't all that.”

“ _You haven't recently seen him though, have you?”_ Harry mentally asked and yet more guilt was added, though this one a bit old. Steve thought he was dead, and unlike everyone else from that fateful day in the lab, it actually bothered Harry that he didn't know he wasn't dead. Steve heard that Dr. Erskine had been attacked in some after math that the Germans had ready in case the first wave failed to kill their intended target. He had wanted to find Steve and inform him that things weren't what he thought but in finding him Harry would doubt he could reassure the blonde American without somehow letting him in on his magic. At this point, the less people who knew about his magic the better.

“And he's your best friend huh?” Harry asked dryly.

“The very bestest.” Bucky replied.

“That's not a word,” Harry said.

“Not true. 'That' happens to be very much a word, Mr. Potter.”

The two shared a laugh, but there was always a heavy knot in the pit of their stomachs.

* * *

 

 

_ **.:~*~:.** _

It began with Harry having false hopes. At first they were the ones with the upper hand. They took down soldier after soldier without any sort of difficulty.

 

Then things got difficult.

 

As they trudged forward they got into more and more battles. Groups were separated to have better cover and better chances of proceeding without getting spotted. Then more soldiers from the enemy lines began to surface and surround them.

 

Soon they were ambushed and were close hand to hand combat with weapons. Somewhere in between those long, cold hours of fighting for their lives, Harry was separated from Bucky. He himself was doing a surprisingly good job defending himself and his team mates without having to reduce to magic much. He once or thrice cast a wandless “Confundus” charm towards the enemy that had the upper hand though.

 

The winds seemed to howl, the bullets and guns seemed to roar, the soldiers, of either side, seem to shriek. There was movement everywhere, the days seemed so long, darkness would fall on them and things would blur together. They tried to stay together, to stay safe, then something hard hit Harry on the side of the head and a whole different type of darkness took him.

* * *

 

 

.:~*~:.

He groaned when he woke and and rubbed his head. It hurt and he could definitely feel the bump that was forming. He blinked a few times to get his vision in order, then a few more times to try to get a better look of his surroundings through the dim lighting.

 

There were some lights spaced every so often and they would flicker which made seeing clearly so much harder for Harry who was already as blind as a bat.

 

“Finally awake?” asked someone with a British accent and Harry turned to the voice and had to squint to see the fellow. It was rather dark and all he could see was the bowler hat and the mustache.

 

“Just barely...” Harry replied.  
  


“Nother Brit, are there more forces still out there?” The Brit asked, though it would have flown over other's head, Harry heard the slight bit of hope in the other's voice.

 

“Dunno...don't think so, but then again, I'm in the American army,” Harry replied.

 

“Ah...don't suppose any more Yanks coming to the rescue?” He asked.

 

Harry shook his head, “With what happened to us...I doubt it.”

  
  
The other Brit sighed and offered Harry his hand, “Didn't think so...Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader. People call me"Dum Dum" Dugan.”

 

Harry shook it and introduced himself, “Harry James Potter.”

 

“Well Mr. Potter, when you have any ideas, be sure to share. Just cos no ones coming in, don't mean we're not wanting out,” Timothy said and Harry 'hm'd' in response. 

 

He walked over to the fence that served as his cage and tried to observe as much as he could. He tried to find Bucky in the masses of other captives but couldn't spot him. For his own sake, he didn't bother shouting. He needn't to attract attention to himself...not yet anyway.

 

For the next couple of weeks, that cage was Harry's home. He laughed sarcastically in his mind when he mentioned to himself that it was roomier than a cupboard. He was starved, thirsty, and manhandled. But compared to some of the others, he was fairing better than most. He smirked coldly and almost wanted to laugh at the irony. His treatment as a child was helping him survive war. He knew how to be hungry and thirsty, he knew how to remain still for hours on end in a cramped environment, he knew how to handle cold treatment.

 

But even if he was more used to it than some of the others, it eventually took it's toll on him. Worse of all, it caused people to notice him. Harry had heard rumors from the other inmates that they were experimenting on the captives. Some of these treatments were a test. They needed strong test subjects, so after so long of withholding food and water, they'd look to see who was still standing tall, or as tall as possible.

 

So when Harry's gate was opened and he was dragged out, even Timothy with his huge muscles, wasn't able to hold back everyone and Harry was dragged out. 

 

He was beat and put through torture methods he vaguely remembered reading about. Once he survived those along with the hunger and thirst problems, they took him to much cleaner stations, though he himself still remained very filthy. 

 

Now would probably be a good time to apparate but he couldn't. Bucky was somewhere in here, he was sure of it. And the more he looked and remembered, the more he had to take back to the Americans. Harry was very glad he decided to place a few charms on his glasses. One charm to keep them from falling off, another to keep from breaking or fogging up, and the third was a 'notice me not' charm. Had they realized he was blind, they would have taken his glasses away. The enemy wants to make their captives as vulnerable as possible and getting rid of one of the senses was right up their alley. If they decided to keep him despite such a big disability. 

 

He took in as much information as he could but then it all got fuzzy when they reached a lab and they injected him with something. His magic tried to battle against it but it could only do so much. There were other soldiers there so Harry knew that the drug being administrated was supposed to knock the soldier out; a sedative. For him though it only made him groggy and his mind foggy, but he feigned unconscious anyway and hoped that for once his Potter Luck was actually lucky. 

 

He seemed to have gotten his wish.

 

Or at least, no one bothered him why they thought he was unconscious. He wished he could have understood what was being said around him but he didn't understand a lick of anything, even if his mind was half mush due to the drug. 

 

He was put off the drugs and they allowed him to wake up, or rather, he was shaken awake rather roughly by soldiers and he was forced to do plenty of test. He was hooked up to machines and injected with more things that made him sweat and heat up, made him sluggish, made him alert, made him hallucinate. 

 

His magic though, began to catch onto the intrusions in his system and because the ingredients didn't hold magic properties, his magic had only a little resistance to work with when trying to banish the substance from him. When Harry was a bit more awake he tried to tap into his magic to speed up the process. There was no spell he knew but his magic has never been 'textbook' magic.

 

He would close his eyes and envision his magic. Like that night the blood protection wards would disappear and he was to run and instead of running towards safety he ran into Voldemort. 

 

He had been so afraid and unsure and full of panic, but his magic acted on it's own. He saw his magic come to life and it was this warm golden glow. 

 

He envisioned that now. His magic alive, surrounding him in this warm, golden casing while he envisioned the substances inside of him as this green, evil coils. He pictured his magic forcing those green coils to disappear and each time he opened his eyes, his mind would be a bit clearer...only for him to be dosed again.

 

This continued for some time before he finally had a rhythm. He couldn't fully dispel the substances inside of him and his mind was still foggy, but it was enough that he had his wits about him and he could actually retain his thinking function. 

 

He gets dosed yet again. And finally he gets a break...sort of.

 

He was strapped up on a gurney and wheeled into a new room. Then that's when he nearly laughed in relief, but caught himself just in time.

 

“Harry?”

 

Bucky...he had found Bucky. 

 

He could get them out now. He just needed enough time to concentrate enough magic to free himself and then Bucky and then think _very_ clearly and apparate them both to the base where Howard would explain everything about Harry, they would be safe, sure they'd have to let Bucky in on their secret but at least they would be alive! But he needed to concentrate cos his mind was very foggy and if he wasn't dedicated or didn't have a destination in mind clearly or had...the other third D that he always forgot, they could get Splinched and it was awful when it happened to Ron and he didn't want it to happen to him or to Bucky. If he hurt Bucky while using magic, it might make him defense and scared of him and he didn't want that either.

 

“Harry!” Bucky called out again and Harry lifted his gaze and saw the other man. As far as prisoners go, he wasn't too horrible. Bruised and bloodied a bit but he was in one piece and nothing that seemed to be fatal. 

 

Harry tried to reply but his mouth was too dry and even when he licked his lips, he couldn't form proper words and his throat itched and ached a bit when he tried so he merely nodded towards Bucky in the silent question of, _“are you alright?”_

 

It's a horrible question and Harry hates it but it's usually what people asked. So he nodded and tried to clear his mind so he could get them home. 

 

However he wasn't able to because in this room they didn't just inject you with things, no, he was where more painful experiments too place, and he was the new test subject.

* * *

 

 

.:~*~:.

“Harry..?”Bucky asked once they were alone, his voice was raspy and tired.

 

Harry didn't know when that happened. He had closed his eyes to help his body resist the pain and he supposed that he has passed out some time during all that. He blinked his eyes and tried to look around the room.

 

He _knew_ this room...

 

He closed his eyes and tried to remember. He forced his magic to help him clear his system and help him think. When he looked back at Bucky was when he remembered. On the way there, his visions, he had seen this room before in his visions. And as he remembered that, more things he began to remember. One very important detail was Steve...Steve was coming to save them.

 

“Don't worry Harry...we're gonna get outta here...promise...” Bucky said.

 

“I know.” was the first thing Bucky's heard him say and he wondered if the soldier thought they had cut off his tongue or something. Unfortunately, he's seen that a lot while here.

 

Bucky nodded, happy that Harry seemed to be coherent and sane. It's something that people fear when someone is taken hostage. Bucky didn't know that they had done to him in the time he's been here and as far as he was concerned Harry was civilian. Sure he knew how to fight, but had he ever been on the field? He hasn't known.

 

The cruelty, the gore...the reality of war isn't always what people expect. The soldiers going into war may think that they're prepared for what they're going into, but they get a very rude awakening once they get there. The strong hide it well and even learn not to look away but that doesn't mean it doesn't change them. They witness the humanity at it's worst and for some, it breaks them. The lines of what they once thought of right and wrong get blurred and crossed and sanity flies out the window. Bucky worried he had scarred Harry into insanity by bringing him along on this mission.

 

“We'll wait for our chance and we'll take it. We'll save everyone and get back to Stark and he'll buy us a much deserved drink,” Bucky said.

 

Harry nodded, “Wait for our chance...”

 

“Wait for our chance.” Bucky echoed his own advice.

 

They had no more words or strength to continue to talk so they didn't. Harry tried to get his magic to flush all of the invading substance from his body and with each passing minute he succeeds a bit more. Soon, he'll be able to make his own opening.

 

But before he can do that the door opened and men in lab coats and black goggles come in and grab his gurney and began to roll him out. Behind him he hears Bucky yelling after him and for them to leave him alone but he tries to block them out. He tried to concentrate more of his magic and he was nearly there. He just needed a few more minutes and he will have full control of his mind and body and then he can make that opening they needed.

 

They finally stop and he opened his eyes that he doesn't remember closing and sees that he's in another experimenting room. This one reminded him of the one with Howard's machinery and where Steve got his transformation.

 

They clutter around each other and spoke in a language Harry didn't understand but he ignored them anyway. He was almost free. From the corner of his eye he saw that they had separated and had gone to different work stations. There was buzzing and beeping coming from the machines and Harry was suddenly reminded of Frankenstein, and the fact that he was Frankenstein's monster at the moment didn't sit well with him.

 

A doctor in a lab coat and black goggles approached him and was beginning to place electrodes on his face and this time Harry struggled. No! He was so close!

 

Suddenly he goes flying and his crashes face first against the floor and his nose _hurts_! There is a horrible stinging on his face and his ears ring.

 

The hell just happened?

 

He opened his eyes again. When had he closed them? He blinked a few times and that's when he realized what was going on.

 

There was an explosion.

 

People were screaming, guns were being fired, machinery was being activated, feet were stomping, and Harry finally had eyes off of him. There was so much noise around him that he yelled at the top of his lungs, even though his throat hurt from the lack of water, and the straps snapped off. Harry stood and wobbled a bit. He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness but it didn't go away.

 

Instead he was assaulted by visions.

 

A plane ride, a shield, an explosion, and blonde hair...

 

“Steve...” Harry muttered.

 

He shook his head again and this time the dizziness stopped. And whatever tiredness he had before was gone as well. He felt better than ever, or at least he thinks he does. In the back of his mind he reminds himself it's a surge of adrenaline going through him but he preferred that than whatever they were giving him.

 

He punched one of the doctors who was in the room and tried to block him and quickly moved passed him. Leaving that lab was like jumping into pure chaos.

 

He moved swiftly and managed to subdue a lone guard and took his weapon. It was like a gun but nothing that he's ever seen from a muggle arsenal. He fired it once to get a feel of it and began tread with caution. Along the way he stumbled and caught himself on a railing as he was assaulted with another vision. He saw this one clear as day. It was Steve, and he had saved Bucky.

 

Harry had wanted to go to him. It would feel treacherous if he didn't. But it wasn't up to him to save him. With a sigh he ran down the hallway and tried to get a good idea of where he was. After dodging enough soldiers and subduing others with and without his magic he found himself back in the cages. Some were already opened but not all of them.

 

Harry soon took care of that.

 

He wasn't the only one and found Timothy and his crew again and joined them in getting weapons and tanks and anything else.

 

He wanted so badly to meet Steve as soon as possible but didn't know if the blonde was controlled enough not to do or say anything stupid. With another sigh, Harry took to a tank and helped by firing. It'll give him some cover once this was over...and he couldn't help but smile then. This would be over and he would go back to the base and see his friend again.

 

He could already hear Howard's lecture and think him insane, he was actually looking forward to it. With a battle cry filled with adrenaline be began to shoot at the intended targets.

* * *

 

 

.:~*~:.

When they arrived back it was...dramatic.

 

They were all covered in dirt, blood, and other not so dignifying matters but they were alive. Bruised, cut, and wounded, but alive. It was the moment in the cinema when the heroes return victorious and truly, that's what happened.

 

Steve Rogers, the boy from Brooklyn, had gone out never thought to return, but he came back, oh boy did he ever come back. The looks of awe and disbelief as Steve delivered his report made Harry roll his eyes and shake his head. As the soldiers all went to the medical tent to get checked over, Harry snuck away and went to Howard's bunker.

 

He was about to knock when a frantic Howard opened the door. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair seemed even more untamable than Harry's, his clothes were disheveled, and he only had one arm in his coat.

 

He must have heard the sirens that were blaring, signaling their arrival, and gone to see if he had arrived.

 

“You're back?” he asked, his voice full of doubt, as if he was seeing things.

 

“Yeah...and if you don't mind, can we do this inside? My feet are killing me,” Harry tried to offer a smile but Howard just stood there.

 

Harry was beginning to feel awkward and now that the adrenaline is long since dead, there was nothing but tiredness.

 

Suddenly Howard tackled him into a hug and even though it really _hurt_ , he hugged back as tight as he could.

 

“I was afraid you'd died...I thought maybe there was no third chance...or maybe they figured it out and were experimenting on you...I...I thought I'd lost you pal,” Howard held him at arms length and gave a sigh of relief before hugging Harry tightly again.

 

And Harry let him. After a few more moments Howard let him go and ushered him inside. 

Then Howard let him go again and brown clashed with green in a very intense gaze and before Harry knew what happened, Howard's lips were on his. Howard paused a bit to see what Harry would do. When the wizard did nothing, he leaned in again and this time deepened the kiss a bit. Harr acted out of instinct though he had no idea what to think. He knew...he had suspected, but he was a man of war and action. Love and emotions...well he wasn't as thick as Ron was but he was still pretty thick. 

 

The drew apart and stared at each other, neither of them breaking the silence of their own little world that they were currently in. A knock on the door  made them jump and then Harry said, "We'll talk about this later." And Howard nodded.  

 

After another knock whoever that was let themselves in. Harry looked up to see Peggy place her free hand on her chest and give a sigh of relief.

 

With her other hand she lifted a first aid kit, “I didn't see you with the others, nor did I hear Stark so I assumed you were here...now strip.”

 

Harry opened his mouth to protest but shut it and instead said, “Let me have a glass of water first.”

 

Howard grabbed a pitcher and filled a plastic cup and gave it Harry who drank three of them greedily before he decided to let them clean and patch him up. Luckily there wasn't anything too deep or anything that needed too much attention. And really, all he needed was a good nights sleep and in the morning he can use some healing spells on himself, or if Howard had any left, some Pepper Up Potion he had left behind.

 

After plenty of unneeded mother henning from both of them Harry yelled, “Enough!”

 

They stared at him critically and he assumed that even after being cleaned up he looked like hell. He scowled and wanted to point out to Howard that he didn't look much better. He held his tongue however in favor of asking, “I don't suppose I may have a request?”

 

“Anything,” Howard replied quickly.

 

Peggy frowned at him for second before looking back at Harry and asked, “And that request is?”  
  


“Bring Steve to see me? Please?” he asked.

 

“I don't know pal. Maybe you should rest first?” Howard suggestion and Peggy nodded in agreement.

 

“I'm tired. I want to sleep, yes, but I want my sleep to be restful. So if you'd please get Steve to visit me before I sleep, I'd greatly appreciate it. If not, I'll go and look for him myself,” Harry said evenly.

 

They looked at him for a long moment before Peggy sighed and relented, “Fine, but after you wake up you will eat every morsel we give you without complain, understand?”

 

Harry nodded and watch her go. “If Steve ever gets the courage to talk to her again...I wish him luck.”

 

Howard looked at him strangely. Like it was so odd that Harry make a joke, before he seemed to remember that this was real and this his friend was safe and out of danger. He laugh, stopped laughing, then laughed more. He hugged Harry again and repeated, “I'm so glad you're back pal.”

 

Harry patted Howard's back and replied, “Me too Howard. Me too.”

 

Harry gets up from his position on the bed to get himself another drink of water. Half way to the counter where the pitcher was, he stumbles. Howard reaches out and catches him.

 

“You okay pal?” Howard asked, concerned.

 

Was he okay? No, he doesn't think he is. He just had a few more flashes of visions. A train. Anger. Depression. Pain. Flying. More pain. Blue. Falling. Cold. Very cold.

 

“Harry? You sure you don't wanna lie down? I can tell Steve to come back later.” Howard offered.

 

Harry shook his head. He felt as if the air was just squeezed out of him but he found it again. He was a bit shaken up by what those things he saw meant but he couldn't worry about them now. He stood up straight and smiles at Howard, “I can't delay this anymore. He needs to know I'm alive.”

 

Howard nodded and went to answer the door when there was a knock on it. Though part of him just wanted to yell at everyone to leave them alone. Okay maybe not. He had acted without thinking and though Harry didn't freak out and reject him, he still had no idea himself why the hell he did what he did. And he also couldn't say he was thrilled with Harry's apparnt need to see Steve. Okay sure he understood it to a point, but Howard still had this feeling inside of him and he couldn't help the feeling even if he wanted to.

 

Harry saw Howard's struggle and the emotions that passed through him but he ignored him for now. Right now they couldn't afford to examin...whatever what going on  between them, so he instead steadied himself against the counter as his memory tried to recall more details about the visions he just saw. But none of it made a lick of sense and when a headache began to form, he just pushed it away. When he opened his eyes he saw Steve, still dressed in his Captain America costume, frozen in his place, eyes as big as saucers.

 

“Harry!” Steve somewhat yelled incredulously.

 

Harry tried to smile but it was strained. He was tired and in pain and wanted to sleep more than anything, but he knew this conversations was needed, no matter how draining it's bound to be.  


	8. The Train

 

 

Trouble Finds Him

Chapter 8: The Train

* * *

**Recap** :

_Was he okay? No, he doesn't think he is. He just had a few more flashes of visions. A train. Anger. Depression. Pain. Flying. More pain. Blue. Falling. Cold. Very cold._

_"Harry? You sure you don't wanna lie down? I can tell Steve to come back later," Howard offered._

_Harry shook his head. He felt as if the air was just squeezed out of him but he found it again. He was a bit shaken up by what those things he saw meant, but he couldn't worry about them now. He stood up straight and smiled at Howard, "I can't delay this anymore. He needs to know I'm alive."_

_Howard nodded and went to answer the door when there was a knock on it. Harry steadied himself against the counter as his memory tried to recall more details about the visions he just saw, but none of it made a lick of sense and, when a headache began to form, he just pushed it away. When he opened his eyes he saw Steve, still dressed in his Captain America costume, frozen in his place, eyes as big as saucers._

_"Harry!" Steve somewhat yelled incredulously._

_Harry tried to smile, but it was strained. He was tired and in pain and wanted to sleep more than anything, but he knew this conversation was needed, no matter how draining it was bound to be._

* * *

.:~*~:.

"Steve..." Harry nodded towards the soldier.

He was still covered in dirt and smoke, still wearing his Captain America uniform, bombers jacket, and helmet. All that were missing were his weapons and shield, "Considering they let you come here I can assume you're not being held for disciplinary action?"

Steve just looked shocked and probably didn't even register that Harry had spoken to him.

"No, Phillips was rather impressed and pardoned him. He did rescue about 400 men, after all...you being one of them," Peggy said.

That made Steve double-take. He turned to ask Peggy, "One of them?" he turned back to Harry and gave him a critical eye. "You were there? In the factory?"

"Well, I didn't get like this being his test monkey," Harry said lightly as he pointed at Howard with his thumb. Though he tried to lighten the mood, it seemed to go ignored by the blonde.

"You're alive and you were in war? They've been there for some time. How long were  _you_  there?" Steve asked.

"I was shipped out with Bucky. I was in his squadron," Harry replied and then turned to the other two. "I think I need to speak with Steve alone. Mind giving us a minute?"

"Yeah, I kind of do; Harry, you need rest," Howard said with a frown and crossed his arms over his chest. He really did want Harry to rest but a part of him also wanted to discuss...matters with him. The kiss being very high up on that list of matters. He still couldn't believe it even though he could still feel the sensation of Harry's lips on his. 

"I agree with Stark. Perhaps we can continue once the both of you have been properly looked at and have gotten actual rest." Peggy added.

"No," was the unison reply of Steve and Harry who turned to look from the other two to each other.

Harry tried to read the other, and it wasn't so difficult. The thing about Steve was that, with him, what you see is what you get. Right now there was mostly confusion.

Something flared in his chest at the heated stare Harry and Steve were sharing but fought it down as he addressed Peggy, "Agent Carter, I will kindly ask you to leave. These are my rooms so I'll stay. You, on the other hand, may leave," Howard said and gave Harry a hard, pointed look.

The wizard rolled his eyes, but nodded. Harry knew Howard was here for damage control as that was what he did; he got into problems, and he fixed them. And now that's what he was going to do for Harry. Or, at least, make sure he doesn't dig a hole for himself.

Peggy looked like she wanted to argue, but held her tongue and nodded, "Phillips will probably need my help in sending out letters about the rescued soldiers."

Peggy's absent presence did nothing to get rid of some of that awkward silence that was there. Harry cleared his throat, but he had no idea at all of where to begin.

"They told me you were dead," Steve stated.

_Okay that's a place to start,_  Harry thought.

"Wounded; I pushed Dr. Erskine out of the way and was wounded. In all that confusion no one else noticed the second shooter who made sure their target was eliminated," Harry recited the lie they had made up for the doctor perfectly.

"And you? When I got back there was nothing but blood...a lot of it," Steve said a bit quietly. He didn't have many friends outside Bucky. And with Bucky leaving for the army he wanted so desperately to go to war. More than to just feel useful, but to not feel alone in New York where there were ironically hundreds of people and still very capable of being lost and forgotten and ignored among them. And no one to help him or believe in him in his attempts to make it overseas. So when Harry and Dr. Erskine came into his life and helped him with his dream...well, he thought them immediate friends because that's what friends did, right? Believed in one another and helped each other even if the world was against them. When news came to him that both were dead...had it not been for the new body the serum gave him, he was sure he'd died of the ache in his chest. Without realizing he'd stepped closer to Harry, eyes boring into Harry's who didn't look away, though Steve didn't have a clue what was going on in Harry's mind. 

"It's one of the perks of being a friend of mine!" Howard said in a louder than needed voice that snapped Steve out of his reverie like state.

Howard gave an easy smile that was meant to calm and reassure people, but it did not meet his eyes which were more hard and a bit cold. Harry called that smile Howard's 'I'm a genius and I know what I'm doing so relax smile'.

"Harry was wounded and we got him into my car and drove to the closest clinic where they helped stop the bleeding and removed the bullet. Once that was done, and it was alright to move him, we got him to a bigger, better equipped hospital. There he got a blood transfusion to replace the blood he lost and was given medical drugs to fight off infection and boost up his immune system- the works." Howard boasted with smugness. 

Harry raised an eyebrow at the genius for going into so much detail but then again, when he died and was unconscious, he had no idea what Howard had done to him. Maybe he had done some of those things in an attempt not to feel useless. Not to mention, being a said genius, Howard must be curious. He's sure Howard has some of his blood in test tubes back home. Or did. Maybe once the war is over and they head back home Harry will allow Howard to do test on him. A blush creeped up his neck as he remembered the kiss and that sentence replayed in his mind. Sneaking a peek at Howard...maybe he will let Howard play with him a bit. Maybe...if Howard wanted. But thinking seriously though maybe Howard will find some scientific explanation where Harry failed to find one magically about his situation.

"I went back a few times and asked about you since the first times they didn't have any word. Then one day they just told me they received word that you were dead. How come?" Steve asked, frown in place as he let the sorrow play out in his eyes. Honestly, to Harry, Steve looked like a kicked puppy.

Howard took his hands out of his pockets and crossed them over his chest again, a frown forming. Since Harry had been living with Howard for over a year and had seen him at work personally, he could practically see the wheels turning.

Though a million thoughts could have passed through his mind, it was only a few seconds that ticked by. Howard looked at Steve and then back at Harry. biting his tongue about his personal opinion on what constituted as 'personal space'.

"Harry's the last of his family- an old, rich family. Money and influence like that means a lot to the right people, especially in times of war," Howard explained and Steve nodded.

Harry raised his eyebrow again, this time ever so slightly. He had told Howard before of his family and that he was technically a Lord back in his world, though he only used that title a few times. He didn't really think Howard would take this angle but it fit. It would give him a link to how he got to Howard anyway.

So Harry nodded and took over. He needed to say something so it would seem like they both knew the same story and Howard wasn't just making it up. Though Howard had quite the silver tongue on him and knew how to lie smoothly and Steve was...well, he was rather...gullible, Harry wanted to create his own story.

"I was being harassed by both ally and axis families for support. So much it just got overbearing. My father was never really that into his responsibilities so, when I was born, I wasn't raised like the other aristocrats so when the chance presented itself, I took off. I'd rather fight in the field than merely donate. During one of the blitz I made it seem like my house was blown up. My father's money went to charities that would sponsor Churchill, as well as orphanages and that sort...I dunno if it actually happened but, as far as anyone knows, I'm dead..." Harry explained.

Howard nodded and finished off, "I... _crashed_ into Harry one fateful day, and he made quite the impression on me."

Steve smiled and nodded, "Yeah, with me too."

Howard chuckled and smiled a secret smile, thriving in the knowledge that Steve would never really know Harry as well as he would and said in a bit of a sarcastic tone, "I'm sure."

Before Steve could so much as blink, Harry straightened and stood before the soldier, shortening even more of that very little personal space left and offered his hand, "I'm sorry you went so long thinking I was dead when I wasn't. I never thought I'd see you again so I didn't think much of it. But if I could have, I would have tried to meet up with you and explain, but..."

Steve took Harry's hand and gave it a firm handshake, "You came to fight. Sorry for being late."

Harry was about to reply but he was suddenly assaulted with more visions.

Flying. Cube. Cold. Blue. Breathless. Pain. Fear. Screaming. Cold.

He staggered and his knees buckled. Steve caught him and Howard launched forward, and they both carried Harry to bed.

"How badly is he wounded," Steve asked as his eyes widened and searched Harry for wounds that may be bleeding or in need of attention. 

"Don't really know. You all just got here," Howard snapped a bit as he reached for the first aid kit and started to check Harry over. 

Harry sat up and shook his head, "S'nothing, and don't worry about it Steve...better late than never, right?"

The blonde nodded but didn't look too reassured, "Should I get a medic?"

"No, I just need to get cleaned up and rest," Harry said and hoped Howard heard the strain in his voice as he pushed the genius away from him some.

"He's right. I've got all that I need to tend to his wounds. You can talk later once you're both rest up. I'm sure Phillips and Carter would love to get some of your time, but go clean up pal. You look like hell," Howard told the blonde.

The blonde chuckled a little but it died when he looked at Harry and there was a look of uncertainty.

"Don't worry about him, he's seen worse. Sides...I got him." Howard said and gestured Steve towards the exit. He seemed reluctant to leave but eventually did.

With some slight difficulty, Howard helped Harry treat each wound no matter its size or severity. Harry got as clean as he possibly could, and, as luck would have it, Howard had a few Pepper-Up potions which Harry took.

He was out before his head hit the pillow.

Howard sat on his bed, moved some of Harry's hair that had fallen on his face out of the way, and stayed with him. Every so often checking for a pulse. Never in his life has a 'thump-thump' calmed him so. 

* * *

.:~*~:.

It was hours later that Harry woke up again but he kept his eyes closed and body still. Only indication that he had woken up was his breathing had changed. 

"You know...it's considered creepy to watch over someone while they're sleeping." Harry commented as he opened one eye and saw Howard seated in a chair next to his bed.

Howard smiled but it wasn't his Stark Shark trademark smile. It was a simple one that somehow showed kindness the world doesn't typically see, and an admiration that Harry was actually alive and there with him and not being prodded by Nazis in some cold, dark lab. "Mothers do it all the time with their children."

"You aren't my mother," Harry commented as he sat up. Howard immediately got up to help. 

"No, I guess I'm not...but given what you put me through while being captured and not apparating to me I think I can be excused," he said rather quietly as he sat on Harry's bed.

Harry looked down and murmured an apology, "Sorry...I just...I couldn't leave them...not like that."

"You _promised_ me Harry! You _promised_ that no matter _what_ you'd come back!" Howard cried out as he tried to get eye contact with the other. 

"I _know_!...I know...All I can say is I'm sorry..." Harry said quietly as he reluctantly met eyes with Howard. 

Howard sighed and leaned to rest his forehead against Harry's. "What am I gonna do with you? I mean I can't stay mad when you give me those doe like eyes...."

Harry glared some, "I'm no doe. I'm a bloody stag." 

"I don't know what that means," Howard admitted with a small grin, tension broken.

"Don't expect you to...but it's nice to know I can render a renowned genius to be out of his depths." he said with his own smile.

"Brat..."

"Your brat though..." 

"What are we doing?" Howard asked, real confusion in his voice. It was so odd coming from him. 

Harry opened his mouth to reply but he didn't really know. He then let out a giggle that even he had to admit was a giggle and shook his head, "...Flirting?"

"...you know this is illegal, right?" Howard said as he leaned in a bit closer.

"You've never pegged me for being a stickler for the rules. And I don't see you running for the hills..." Harry murmured as he leaned in closer still that they were now a breath apart.

"I'll only go if you come with me..."

"Followed you this far, haven't I?"

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"Not running..."

It was all Howard needed to hear before he captured Harry's lips with his own in another heated kiss. This one better and longer since it was just them with no interruption any time soon. 

* * *

 

Harry was walking over to the bar the soldiers were welcomed to and frequented.

Though it was a different London, it was still London and, even though he never really spent time in the city back in his own time, it still filled Harry with nostalgia. Everyone at the bar was there to celebrate Captain America's rescue victory and, as he was hungry, he was going to grab something for himself and Howard since the genius was busy prepping some weapons for Steve. The bar was active with soldiers getting drunk, playing cards, eating, singing, and sharing jokes.

Harry smiled as he watched them relish in their victory. They deserved it, he supposed. He just hoped they didn't get pissed off drunk or they'd face hell in the morning.

He passed Timothy's table and he was invited to join but he simply replied, "Officially, I'm not even here."

The other Brit replied with, "And I'm 'dead'. Take a load off and have a pint; Roger's buying." There was some laughter, but Harry insisted that he had other military matters to attend. And really he just wanted to get back to Howard. Neither of them wanted to place a label on what they were doing and so they wouldn't. But they'd enjoy it and damn if it wasn't enjoyable. 

After he got some burgers to go and had a few short words with Bucky, he was exiting the pub when he ran into Peggy.

"You look much better, Potter," she commented with a slight grin.

"And might I say you look divine," Harry said with his best Stark-smile. She really did look good. She was wearing a red dress that in this time would be seen as elegant, daring, and sexy.  _Fitting,_  Harry thought.

"Aren't you the charmer?" she asked.

"I'm British, it's in my blood," he replied.

She smirked, "How...appealing." she looked passed him and then asked, "Aren't you going to celebrate with the others?"

"As appealing as getting pissed until ungodly hours with a bunch of yanks sounds, unfortunately I've got a few things I have to help Howard with, so… no, but perhaps some other time. Maybe you can join me for morning tea tomorrow if you're free?"

She gave him a smile, "Not something I hear very often."

"Then I'll be a refreshing twist to your doleful routine," Harry said with a grin. "Come on Peggs. A good cuppa with a friend to help cope with it all." 

"Who said I needed help coping with anything?" she asked defensively.

"Never said that, but, since we're at war, I merely assumed." Harry said.

"You've better remember to never assume again, Potter, might just save your life."

Harry mocked salute and smiled, "Yes ma'am. Am I excused?"

"Off you go," she said with a smile and Harry chuckled as he went to Howard's lab and she entered the bar.

* * *

.:~*~:.

Howard and the other scientist worked long into the night and got up early the next morning. Harry mostly stuck to the background, every so often running with a file from one person to another. He helped carry boxes, and was there to listen to Howard ramble since he was the only one with the patience to do so. And when no one looked, Howard would sneak them into a closet or closed off space for a make out session which Harry always ended much too early for Howard's liking. 

Sometime in that busy morning Harry had gone off with one of the sergeants to discuss military battle plans. Though he was there 'unofficially', Bucky, Howard, and Steve vouched for him, and he was as good as gold. And since he was there and got a good deal of info from the time he was captured, he took some time to tell them all he knew.

By the time he was done and went back to see if he could help Howard in anyway, he walked in to Howard ducking and shielding himself as Peggy fired at Steve. As she walked passed him, he moved out of her way and watched her go. After what seemed a life time he walked over to the two and asked, "Do I even want to know?"

By noon Harry had most of the story, or at least Steve's side of it and he felt a bit bad for the blonde and decided to try and help him.

* * *

.:~*~:.

Harry walked over with a tray of tea and sat it down on Peggy's desk where she was currently burying herself in paperwork. She looked up as Harry made himself as comfortable as possible in his seat, and prepared his tea to his liking before taking a sip of it. After a long moment Peggy sighed and placed her files down rather loudly and asked, "What's this?"

"Tea," Harry replied easily.

"I'm busy, Potter," she replied and went to grab another file, but Harry grabbed her wrist and gave her a look.

"It's tea. We're British. It'd be a crime to let it go cold," Harry replied with a gentle smile.

"I dunno what you're talking about. I am just fine," Peggy replied defensively.

"...you shot a guy." Harry stated plainly.

" _At_  him, and Stark said the shield should work," Peggy said defensively once more.

" _Should_  being the operative word," Harry deadpanned.

"And now we know that it did," Peggy replied cheekily as she grabbed the other cup of tea and made it to her liking.

"Right...because that was obviously not over dramatic at all." Harry drawled.

"..."

"Give him a break, Pegs!" Harry asked with a pleading smile, using the nickname he'd given her since they arrived in London just to annoy her.

"I've asked you to stop calling me that," Peggy retorted.

"Oh come on, from one Brit to another. Please? I still don't understand why you don't see it from his point of view," Harry huffed.

"The army has a certain protocol that must be followed. If there are gaps within our system we will fail, and it'll cost more than just the war, but people's lives, Potter," Peggy said with a slight glare. The look clearly stated to 'drop the subject.'

But Harry couldn't do that. He got up and went to another female's desk and asked for a compact mirror and offered up his own 'Stark' smile which quickly got him what he wanted. He walked back to Peggy and had her look into the mirror.

"You know as well as me that that's bollocks. With Roosevelt and Churchill running things, there's no chance Hitler's ever going to win. This is less about the army and more about normal, everyday things," Harry said and passed the open mirror to Peggy. "You are beautiful."

Peggy was about to butt in but Harry raised his hand to stop her, "Don't deny it cos we both know it's true. You use it as an advantage. Even as a military tactic if need be."

Peggy's glare darkened, "Are you suggesting something, Potter?"

"Not like that, but a smile from a pretty face gets people far. Trust me, I've seen it happen plenty with Howard. No, my point is that you're beautiful, and you  _know_  it. And you use it to your advantage, but it's not your only advantage. You're fit and healthy and you really are strong and knowledgeable. You, Peggy Carter, are dangerous...a threat.

"Look at your reflection...striking, confident, strong...even though you're female. Now look at her and imagine this was the Peggy after some miracle experiment that's not natural. Imagine a Peggy who was thinner and scrawnier, like a skeleton with skin. As a Brit you're pale, but it's a pretty pale...imagine a ghostly, ashy texture. Imagine a gaunt face with circle under her eyes. Her hair bushy and untamable and looking like a bird's nest every day...

"No one would look at her right? Not as anything but as someone to pick on; someone who might be smart to do one of the cooler kid's homework, maybe. Someone who's scared and too weak to do something, but they do it anyway. And then, when that is done, you're looking like the Peggy who looks right back at you in that mirror..."

"Harry..." Peggy was speechless.

"Steve's never had this sort of attention before. Up until now, he's been the shadow everyone ignores. Tell me right now that you don't like it when someone compliments you? You'd be lying and we both know it. Steve's getting a high dose of it, I admit, but it should be completely understandable. He's gone from one end of the spectrum to the other over night," Harry said.

Peggy and Harry sat there, looking at each other for a very long moment. Harry leaned back and Peggy crossed her arms, neither giving into the other's stare. Then she sighed and grumbled, "I'm not going to settle for coffee."

Harry stood up and smirked, "Wouldn't expect you to. Say...an hour?"

"Hour and a half. I've got reports to do," She picked up the files and stalked off.

Harry rolled his eyes and walked back to Howard's lab where Steve was taking shelter. He hoped to fix things before those two started sharing advice. Only hell could come from that.

He got there in time to hear Howard explain that 'fondue' wasn't an innuendo, but just cheese and bread. Harry snorted and got their attention.

"And where have you been?" Howard asked, hands on his hips. Though it was meant to be teasing, Harry did catch a bit of possessiveness in Howard's voice that was lost to Steve. 

"Well,  _father_...I've been with Peggy."

Harry didn't miss the flash of jealousy that passed Steve and Howard's face and he snickered as he passed both of them and sat in Howard's comfy chair.

"Oh? She's speaking with  _you_?" Steve asked.

Howard had to snort. He mentally told himself he needed to teach the kid to hide his emotions better. Sure he was feeling that weird flaring jab in his chest but he knew better than to let others see it. 

"Yes. We're both British. We have an instant connection," Harry said with a shrug and Howard smirked at him. He had really been an influence on the Brit. But he also trusted Harry and whatever they had was meant something, even if they didn't put a label on it.

"How pleasant," Steve said heatedly.

Harry decided to give Steve a break and replied, "We may have a connection, but you have a date with her in an hour and a half."

Steve did a double-take, and stupidly asked, "What?"

Harry smirked and leaned back in his chair, "She like tea, not coffee; a splash of milk and three sugars. I'd remember that if I were you."

"You...are a miracle worker...you need to write a book, pal." Howard said in awe while Steve nodded dumbly.

* * *

.:~*~:.

The date was a bit awkward since Steve knew next to nothing about women, but their relationship was mending. Steve then went back into the field with his team and slowly, one by one, another Hydra flag was removed from the map.

Steve was very good with his shield from the films Harry saw. Though they weren't the men Phillips originally planned to assign Steve, those men worked better.

Maybe it wasn't as professional as some would like since they would joke around when they weren't on a mission, but maybe that was better. They knew how the others worked, and they came out victorious every time.

Steve also took to riding a motorcycle.

Harry smirked and told Howard that he could play with the guns and weapons of mass destruction, but he got to play with the bike. He was the one who fixed it up and prepped it for whenever Steve had a mission. He charmed it similarly to Sirius' bike. Not easily broken, fire resistant, and he made sure that none of the steel, or other parts for that matter, would freeze or get stuck with any sort of gunk from the elements.

Mission after mission they got closer and closer to wiping the enemy off the map. Harry had yet to explain his visions to Howard but on one day he walked up to Steve and demanded to go on the next mission.

Steve, startled by the demand, asked why.

Harry said that he was getting restless, and needed something more to do. That he couldn't just be the army's errand boy. It didn't take much for Steve to agree and soon, he was prepping to head out into the field again.

To make it easier for everyone, he didn't bother telling Howard or Peggy about it and just disappeared with them.

He was sure to catch hell from Howard later, but that was the thing about being sent to the past; some of his visions got clearer as they seemed to get closer to actually happening. So, again, he saw the train and felt pain and panic and depression and, worst of all, this time he saw Bucky's face.

He feared for what that would mean so he decided to tag along, and make sure that, if anything happened, he'd be there to help.

That's why he was sent back, right?

To help?

* * *

.:~*~:.

Getting onto the train itself was...exhilarating; they zip-lined onto the train. Something he'd never even heard of until that point. 

Steve and Bucky went in a team while Harry was paired with another soldier. They were to capture the doctor that was on the train. When they went inside the train, it was oddly quiet. It wasn't until he entered another room that he realized it was a trap; they were locked into a cart with soldiers coming at each of them. Harry raised his gun, and took down the man sent in to kill him.

He was blinded by a light and he saw white and then Bucky's face.

He apparated to the top of the train and tried to find the cart where Bucky and Steve were located and he waited until there was a blast and Bucky was dangling for his life. Steve tried to reach him, but Harry saw the bar where Bucky was holding on to begin to break.

He was going to fall.

Harry ducked down onto his stomach so the winds wouldn't push him off, and he stretched his hand out to Bucky though neither he nor Steve noticed him. The winds ate his scream of, " _ **Aresto Momentum!**_ "

He held Bucky and the railing he was holding onto in place until Steve grabbed hold of his hand and pulled his best friend to safety.

Harry rolled over onto his back and panted happily. He had saved a life...he had saved a friend.

Then he screamed in agony. He clutched his head with one hand and with the other held on to the train for his life.

" _ **AGAIN**! YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN! When will you learn to _ _ **not**_ _interfere!"_

Death...

"I...I had to..."

" _You are overstepping your boundaries! You cannot do this! He was my victim!"_

"I...I am your master! I will do as I see fit!" Harry yelled passed the pain. He tried to open his eyes to see Death, but they were moving too fast and all he could see was the wind pushing the snow off the mountain.

" _For now. Tread carefully... **Master** ," _Death seemed to whisper that in his ear because his whole right side went impossibly cold.

There had been a pressure Harry hadn't noticed before, but it was gone now and he could breathe. The pain was gone as well. He sat up a bit panting, the wind still bombarding him, and he swallowed. He was saving people that were meant to die...and that wasn't sitting right in Death's book.

Harry had a role in this world; more than ever was he convinced. Death promised that one day he'd find Harry and with all that he was doing, Harry was guessing that wasn't going to be a very pleasant meeting.

 


End file.
